Fateful Moment
by Lucinders
Summary: AU: Cristina Yang is living a very happy life with her husband, Peter and his two children, Olivia and Noel. Then, one day, something happens to shatter her happy life.
1. Chapter 1 Cristina and Peter

Twenty-five-year-old Cristina Yang came out of the room, clapping her hands in glee. She had successfully defended her dissertation and she was going to be awarded her PhD. She was so happy that she could scream but she couldn't do that now because there were too many people around. She nodded to her friend, colleague and classmate, Tabitha, who was now going in to the academic firing squad, which they were, since they could shoot down your years of research in a matter of minutes.

"Wish me luck," Tabitha said, shaking her long, blonde hair. "By your expression, I can tell you have survived and come out winning."

"Lotsa luck, Tabby," Cristina said. "You are going to do fine. If I could do it, you can, too. I am going to call Peter now. Call me, when you are through." Tabitha nodded and let out a huge breath before she turned the door handle and went inside.

Cristina hurried out of the building and found an empty bench under a shady tree. She called her husband's number and his graduate assistant, Thomas answered. "Professor Kennedy's office. How may I help you?"

"Thomas, it's me, Cristina. Is Peter around?" she said, unable to hide the glee in her voice.

"Oh, hey Cristina," Thomas said. "I trust from the sound of your voice that it went well. Congratulations."

"Yes, yes, yes," Cristina shrieked, happily.

"I hope it goes just as well for me, when it is my turn," Thomas replied.

"Oh, I am sure it will, Thomas. Peter tells me that you are one of the brightest grad assistants he has ever had," Cristina answered. "Is Peter around? I have to tell him."

"Yeah, hold on," the grad assistant replied. "Let me transfer you."

She waited until she heard her husband's voice, "Cristina, how did it go?"

"Awesome, wonderful, terrific. I was like a boss in there. I answered all of their questions, authoritatively. I knew that research inside and out. There was no question that I could not answer," she said.

"Oh my God, I am so happy for you. This is cause for celebration," Peter said. "Tell you what. Why don't you pick up the kids from school and we will meet at Gulliver's for a family celebration. Then on the weekend, we can get someone to stay with them and we can have our own private celebration."

"Yes," she said. "That sounds great. I am going to pick up the kids, now. What time will you be there?"

"I think around five," Peter replied. "I have to clear up a few things with Thomas, and then I am all yours with the family."

"Okay," Cristina said. "I will see you at Gulliver's in a bit." Gulliver's was a family restaurant that the Kennedy children enjoyed a whole lot. It was one of their favorite eating places. She and Peter often took them there often.

She jumped into her car and drove to the middle school. Children were already pouring out of the front doors and getting into their parents' cars. She spotted the auburn hair of her step-children waiting for her. She honked the horn to get their attention. Noel looked up and waved at her. He nudged his sister to tell her that Cristina had come for them.

They walked, swiftly towards the car and piled into the back seat, tossing their book bags on to the floor of the vehicle.

"So how did it go?" Olivia asked, her green eyes shining. Olivia was 11 and the younger of the two children. She was in Grade 6 and was a bright girl, fond of academics, the color purple and the Disney channel.

"It went very well. I am going to get my PhD," Cristina replied with a grin.

"Awesome with a capital A," Noel, 12 replied. He was in Grade 7 and like his sister, was also great at academics. Interestingly, too, he was just as enamored with sports and played baseball, football and lacrosse. They both had their father's auburn hair and bright green eyes. Noel, in particular, looked like a mini-version of their father.

Cristina had known the Kennedy children and their father, since she was 18. She was a freshman, pursuing a degree in Economics. Though her parents paid her tuition, room and board, there wasn't much money left for entertainment, so she had to look for a part-time job. She saw the advertisement for babysitting and tore off the contact information. She called, immediately and found out that the person who needed babysitting services was Professor Peter Kennedy in the English department. He told her to come around to their house, that afternoon where he could interview her and she could meet the children. He gave her the address and said he was looking forward to meeting her.

After her classes that day, the freshman had made her way to the large house on Cherry Blossom Street. She stood there, admiring the older house. It was very well maintained and had a lot of architectural detail of a bygone era. She knew enough about architecture to know that it was a Queen Anne house. She went up the stoop and rang the doorbell. She could hear running feet from the interior of the house and she could hear Dr Kennedy telling someone to calm down because they needed to make a good impression on the baby sitter. Cristina had to smile at that.

The door opened and Cristina was pleased to note that not only Dr Kennedy was good-looking, he had a kindness in his bright green eyes, that was very endearing. He ran his hand through his thick, auburn waves. He looked to be in his early thirties.

"Hello," he said, offering his hand to shake. "You must be Cristina Yang. I am Professor Kennedy."

"Yes, I am," she said, taking his hand and shaking it. "It is so very good to meet you."

"Well, come on in," Professor Kennedy said. "The two little rascals are here." Cristina entered the foyer and noticed that the interior of the house was as well kept as the exterior. Two little children emerged from the living room and curiously looked out at the young woman, standing in the foyer.

"This is Noel and Olivia," Dr Kennedy said, pulling the children to stand in front of him. "What do we say, kids?"

"How do you do?" the two children said in unison. Cristina noted that they both had their father's coloring.

"I am very well, thank you," Cristina said. The little girl giggled, while the boy gave her a solemn gaze.

"Okay, kids, go and stay in the kitchen with Dorothy," Dr Kennedy said. The children ran away, heading towards the kitchen.

"Don't run," he yelled after them but to no avail, as the children continued their run to the kitchen. He sighed before he spoke again. "Come this way, let's head to my study."

He led Cristina to his study. She could not help but admire the details of the house. "This house is so spectacular," she said. He turned around and looked at her.

"I am glad you like the house. It has been in my family for years," he said. "I am the only child of my parents, so naturally, it came to me and eventually, I would want to pass it on to my children."

"Well, you do a fine job of maintaining it," she told him.

"I do what I can on the weekend," he said. "It is a lot of work but I enjoy it. I am modernizing it without damaging the integrity and style of the architecture. It is a careful balance." He opened the door to the study and allowed her to enter before him.

Cristina looked around at the overstuffed bookshelves in the room. He caught her gaze and said that he was an avid reader and invited her to take a seat. He sat behind the big desk and told her that they were just going to have a chat.

"So let me tell you what the job entails. I have a housekeeper, Dorothy, who cleans and cooks but taking care of the children has become a burden for her. She is not that young anymore and she would like someone to take over the kids when they come home from pre-school," Dr Kennedy said.

Cristina wondered where his wife was because she could clearly see that he was still wearing a wedding ring. It was like if he could read her mind because the next words out of his mouth were about his wife.

"I guess you are probably wondering about the whereabouts of my wife. Penelope died six months ago. She picked up an infection on one of our trips and she didn't recover from it. It was very sudden," Dr Kennedy said. His voice had grown quiet as he thought about his wife.

"I am so sorry, Dr. Kennedy," Cristina said. She felt bad because he had known exactly what she had been thinking.

"Thank you," he said. He let out a sigh. "Well, let's talk about the job, shall we? Dorothy picks up the kids from pre-school/daycare about 4.00 p.m. It is not too far from here. The babysitter would be required to pick them up from now on, so Dorothy can go home. She has been going above and beyond since Penelope died but it is getting too much for her.

"You have to make sure that they are fed and bathed and to stay with them, until I come home. It doesn't sound too hard but my kids are very energetic. Olivia is four and Noel is five. That is why they tire out poor Dorothy. But you are very young, Miss Yang. I am sure you can handle them. Please tell me about yourself, your babysitting experience and why do you want this job."

Cristina smiled and started. She had rehearsed this before she had come to the house. "I am eighteen years old and a freshman at the University. I am majoring in Economics. I come from Belleview. I don't know if you have heard it. It is a town about 150 miles from the city. My parents still live there with my little brother, Corey and my dog, Jasper, who is a cocker spaniel. Though my parents cover my tuition, room and board, there isn't much money to do other things.

"I have lots of babysitting experience and I love hanging out with kids. I did it all through high school and I have excellent references from folks in my hometown. I can give you their names and numbers and you can call them, if you want." She took out a piece of paper she had tucked in her knapsack and gave it to him.

"Okay," he said, staring at the piece of paper in his hand. "Tell you what. I will give these people a call but I think they are going to tell me great things about you, Cristina Yang. I have a good feeling about you and I think the kids are probably going to like you. So, I was wondering when you can start. As soon as possible is my timeline."

Cristina laughed. "I can start as soon as you want."

"Good, so this is what I plan to pay per hour," he said. He pushed across a piece of paper towards her. He hoped it was enough. He wasn't sure about babysitting rates these days. Cristina stared at the number. It was twice what the families in Belleview paid her.

"This is very generous of you," she finally said.

"Well, that's because I expect excellent care for my children. They are what is most precious to me," he said, softly.

"I understand," she said. "I will do my very best for you." And that is how Professor Kennedy and Miss Yang met. Eventually, it became Peter and Cristina. Over the four years of college, Cristina and Peter got to know each other better and fell in love. She, he and the two children became a family. When she graduated from college, he proposed to her and she accepted. Though Peter was 15 years older than her, it just seemed right and they were very happy. He had been the one to introduce her to travel, fine art, poetry and literature.

He was the one who encouraged her to do her PhD and today was the culmination of all of that. She and the children sat at their favorite window booth, while their favorite server brought them their favorite drinks. They had already eaten two baskets of bread. Cristina looked at the watch and then, the door. Peter was never late. Where the heck was he?

She decided to call him but there was no answer on his cell phone. She called his office and was told by Thomas that Peter had already left.

"Where's dad?" Noel asked. He, too, knew that his father was never late.

"He must be in traffic or something," Cristina said. "He will be here." They waited for another half-hour before Cristina tried to call Peter again. This time, someone answered but it wasn't Peter. It was a deep male voice but it wasn't Peter's voice. She wondered if she rang the wrong number.

"Um, I think I may have dialed the wrong number," she said.

"Maybe not, are you looking for Peter Kennedy?" the voice said.

"Yes, I am," she replied. "He's my husband. He was supposed to meet us at Gulliver's." There was a pause on the other end before the person answered.

"I am very sorry, Mrs. Kennedy," he said. "My name is Dr. Owen Hunt and I am an ER doctor at Mercy General. Your husband has been in an accident and he is here at our hospital. He is going to need surgery."

Cristina dropped the phone in shock. The anguish in her face was evident. The children stared at her in alarm.

"Is it dad?" Olivia asked, tears beginning to fill her eyes. Cristina was too numb to even acknowledge Olivia's question.

On the other end of the phone, the doctor was still talking, "Mrs. Kennedy, are you still there? Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy."

* * *

**A/N This is a new story. I hope you would leave your comments and feedback. I do appreciate them.**


	2. Chapter 2 Owen

Dr. Owen Hunt was in a positively good mood. He had what he thought was a great interview with the head of surgery, Dr Stephens and the head of the trauma department, Dr. Caesar. As a fifth year resident, he was hoping to cement his future at the hospital, as he sought the trauma fellowship. His tenure as a resident was coming to an end and he knew that he was not the only one with his eye on the trauma fellowship. His stiffest competition was Donald Shelby, that bloody brown-noser, he thought.

Other than Shelby, there were, of course, candidates from other hospitals coming for interviews, too. There was Peterson from Northwestern, Cozier from St Michael's and Rockwell from St Stephen's. All of these were terrific candidates, he had to admit. But he felt that he did well in that interview, plus his work as a resident had been exemplary.

He was now 30 years old and soon to be married. That, too, was of primary concern to him. He had asked his fiancée, Melissa to wait until he had finished his residency before they could get married. With his residency ending soon, she had planned their wedding to take place in two months. His mother had encouraged him to settle down and he was the only one of his siblings still unmarried. After all, he and Melissa had been together for two years, already and he thought that they got along well. He knew that Melissa, who was the same age as him, was itching to start a family. She wanted to start trying as soon as they got married.

He thought about Melissa as he walked back to the ER. She had been driving him crazy over the last few months, as she planned their wedding. She was trying to get his opinion on her choices for catering, the flowers, the music etc. But the truth was that while he pretended to be interested, he really was not. It didn't matter to him about any of the trappings of a fancy wedding. They had some 200 guests attending the wedding. If left up to him, the wedding would be small and would have only 50 guests, comprising of family and close friends. Whatever she chose, he would say yes. She quickly realized that he was not providing any input towards the wedding and she became upset.

He soothed her by saying that she had much better taste than he did and he trusted her judgment. Anything he chose would be a complete disaster, he told her. He said he would choose his tuxedo and that of his groomsmen but other than that, everything she chose would be fine with him. Even at their bridal registry, he allowed her to choose whatever she wished. It really didn't matter to him because he never needed anything fancy. All he was interested in was having a comfortable bed to sleep in at night. As an ER doctor, he valued his sleep, whenever he got it. He worked very long hours, which would continue even after he got the trauma fellowship.

His phone buzzed. It was a text message from Melissa. She wanted him to take some time off at five to meet her at the bakery shop, which was making the wedding cake. They were going to do some wedding cake testing.

"Ah," he said to himself. He did like cake. Scratch that. He loved cake. He wasn't going to miss that, he thought. This was one aspect of the wedding he was going to enjoy. He sent back a text saying that he would be there, barring any major emergency in the ER. Melissa sent back a message, saying, "You better" with a winking smiley face. He grinned.

It was a fairly typical day in the ER. There were broken arms, broken legs, a fall from a roof, a sprained ankle, food poisoning and a stabbing incident between two irate neighbors. There wasn't anything major until Owen was about ready to leave for his cake tasting session.

He was just about to go change out of his scrubs when he heard the ambulance screaming into the bay. He knew it. This always happened when he was about to leave.

The paramedic rushed the patient in on the gurney. "Peter Kennedy, age 40, motor vehicle accident victim." He listed all of Kennedy's injuries, while Owen started assessing what needed to be done. They cut away his pants to reveal Kennedy's badly mangled leg. Kennedy desperately needed to be in surgery. He could tell he had major broken bones and told the nurse to page Ortho and Cardio, too, since Kennedy also had a penetrating chest injury.

Then, he heard it – the sound of a phone ringing. It was coming from the pants he had just cut away. He dug into the pocket and pulled out the phone. The call display said Cristina. He answered it.

The person on the other end knew immediately that he was not Peter. She thought he had the wrong number but he told her who he was. She told him that she was Peter's wife and he told her that Peter was in an accident and was at Mercy General. It sounded like the phone was dropped. He called out her name several times but there was no answer. He could hear the sound of children's voices asking questions. He said her name, again.

Then, the voice of a young boy came on. "Doctor, we are on our way."

"Of course," Owen said. "Your dad is going to need surgery. Come as soon as you can."

* * *

Owen was about to head to the OR, when he heard the voice behind him say, "Dr Hunt." He turned around to see a small, lovely Asian woman with dark curly hair with two pre-teen children with her.

"Yes, I am but I can't talk to you, right now. I am on my way to the OR," he said.

"I spoke to you on the phone about my husband, Peter Kennedy," she told him.

Good Lord, he thought. This was Kennedy's wife, Cristina. She was nothing like what he had expected. After all, Kennedy was a 40-year-old man. This woman looked like she was about 20, for the most. It didn't help matters that she wore the standard wear of what one would expect for a college student. In addition to the pre-requisite gear of a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, a backpack was also strapped over her shoulders. Surely, she could not be the mother of these two children, who besides having no Asian features, would have been born when this woman was a child herself.

"Mrs. Kennedy," he said. Cristina didn't bother to correct him to say that she did not carry Peter's last name. Yes, officially, she was Mrs. Kennedy but professionally, she was Cristina Yang, still. But at this point, it didn't really seem to matter. She nodded when he said her name.

Owen continued, "I am heading to the OR right now," he said. "How did you get here so fast?" It was barely seven minutes ago that she called her.

"Gulliver's is pretty close to the hospital. Peter, my husband, was supposed to meet us there. I guess he was almost there, when he got in the accident because they brought him here," she told him. "We were going to celebrate that I successfully defended my dissertation."

Well, he had been right that she was a student but a little older than he thought, since she seemed to have completed her PhD. She was about 25 but still, she was many years younger than her husband.

"Oh," he said. "Congratulations." He didn't know what else to say. What a terrible thing to have happened when the family had such great news.

"Thank you," she said. "Dr Hunt, can you save him? Save him for Olivia, Noel and me." She put her arms around the two children, who both looked very scared. Tears were streaming down the girl's face, while the boy's lower lip trembled. They both had their father's auburn hair, he noted. They were definitely Kennedy's children.

"Yes," he said. This was not what he was supposed to say. He was actually supposed to say that they were going to try their very best. That was what his boss, the head of trauma, Dr Caesar, had told him to say.

"You are not supposed to give false hope especially if the patient is in a very bad way," Dr Caesar had told him. "There is nothing wrong with saying that you will do your very best because it is true. We are going to do our very best but sometimes, our very best is not good enough to save a patient, if he or she is too far gone."

Owen knew that Kennedy was in a terrible state but there was something about the woman's dark, pleading eyes that he could not say the word, "no." He could not believe that he had actually said yes to her.

"I will talk to you after the surgery and give you his prognosis, then," Owen said.

"Thank you," Cristina said, as she drew the children closer to her. Owen nodded and left, looking back to see the woman and the children all hugging each other. The three of them were crying and he felt their pain.

In the OR, it was tough going for all three doctors to keep the patient alive. Peter coded twice and they brought him back both times. The second time got Owen really exasperated.

"There is no way, Kennedy, that you are going to die on us," he said, emphatically, as he used the paddles on the heart. "There is no way you are going to leave that beautiful woman and those wonderful children."

"Why are you so adamant?" Johnson, the ortho guy said.

"Because I promised her that I would save him," Owen said.

"What, Hunt? You know that you are not supposed to make such promises," Johnson said.

"I know, I know. But if you just saw her, you wouldn't be able to say no, too," Owen said, a little apologetic in his tone. He breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the rhythm once again.

"Thank you, Mr. Kennedy, for listening to me," he said. "Your wife and kids are worth living for." After another three hours, they were finally through.

He went to the waiting room to look for Mrs. Kennedy and the children. It was quite late so they were all asleep. The boy had his head on his step-mother's shoulder, while the girl's head was on her lap. They looked so peaceful that it was hard to wake them up. He walked softly across to them and shook her, gently. She opened her eyes. There was an immediate fear in them, so he sought to put her at ease.

"Peter came through the surgery like a champ. He is a survivor," Owen said. "It was touch and go, a couple of times in there but I figured Peter knew what a lucky guy he is to have his family, so he came back to us."

"Oh, thank you, Dr Hunt. I am so grateful," she said. "I would hug you but these kids have me trapped."

He laughed. "That's okay," he said. "I am just so happy that I could help."

"When can we see him?" Cristina asked.

"He is in recovery, so it will be a while," Owen told her. "Maybe you can go home, freshen up, grab something to eat and come back. He will be groggy. I will be honest with you and tell you that he probably has a couple more surgeries and it is going to be a long road to full recovery."

"Okay, then," Cristina said, nodding. She understood that it was not going to be a quick fix. She shook the kids awake. "Dad made it through the surgery. We're going go home and come back to see him." Both children started to cry but this time, they were tears of joy.

He left them and went to change to the locker room to change his clothes. He checked his phone and there were missed calls from Melissa and a couple of voice mails.

"Oh, shoot," he said. He had forgotten about the appointment at the bakery for the cake-testing. He called Melissa. She was extremely angry and thought that he could have gotten someone else to take over for him. He apologized profusely and said he would make it up to her. He knew he had to go over to her apartment and soothe her ruffled feelings.

As he changed his clothes, he thought about the Kennedy family. He was actually glad that he had been there to save Peter Kennedy. He had given them back her husband and their father. He felt good about that. If given the choice, he would have done it, again. He would have skipped the cake-tasting and endured Melissa's wrath to save that life. Yes, it was all worth it.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them.**


	3. Chapter 3 Friends

Cristina sat on a chair, waiting for Peter to wake up. The two children had gone to the vending machine to get something to drink, so it was only her in the room with him. She closed her eyes for a minute, hoping to get a little rest.

"Cristina," a weak voice said. Her eyes opened immediately to see Peter looking across at her from the bed. She got up, immediately and moved quickly towards the bed. She gently touched his face, which brought a slight smile to his face.

"Hey," she said. "Welcome back to the land of the living. You gave us quite a scare, there."

"W-w-hat h-h-happened?" he stammered out. He looked around the room. He could tell that he was probably in a hospital room, especially with this IV stuck in his arm. "All I remember was driving to Gulliver's and then, that's it."

"You were almost to Gulliver's when you got in an accident," she told him. "I spoke to a police officer and she told me that your car was hit by a truck when you were in the middle of the intersection. The truck broke the red light and hit you."

"The car?" he asked, with a measure of dread in his voice.

"Totaled, honey," she said, soothingly. She knew that he loved that car. "Pretty sure the insurance will cover everything, since it was not your fault."

"Ohhh," Peter said, woefully. "My poor car." Then, he realized that his children were not there. "Where are Noel and Liv?"

"They just went to the vending machine to get some drinks," Cristina said. "They should be back, any moment, now."

It was like if they knew that their names were being said, since the children came into the room in that instant.

"Dad!" they both yelled, together as they saw their father had awakened. They ran to him and showered him with kisses. Then, they rested their heads against him.

"Hey, hey," Peter said. "I am so glad to see you guys, too." He patted their heads, gently.

There was a knock on the door and a young doctor with strawberry blonde hair stepped in. He had a broad smile on his face.

"I see the whole family is here. I am glad to see this," Owen said. "I am Dr Hunt and I was one of the surgeons, who operated on you." He came in closer to the side of the bed. He gave Cristina a smile, too.

"Thank you," Peter said. "Thank you for giving me my life back."

"Well, you had something to do with it, too," Owen said. "We almost lost you in there but you're a fighter. Pretty sure you knew somewhere in your brain that you had a lot to live for. You are a survivor, Mr. Kennedy."

"Yes, I do have a lot to live for, Dr Hunt," Peter said, grateful for the chance to still be with his family.

"How do you feel?" Owen asked, as he began to check Peter's vitals. He made some notations on Peter's chart.

"Like a truck hit me," Peter said with a grin.

"Well, that is certainly the truth," Owen said. "We may have to do one or two more surgeries, depending on how you're recovering but as I said, you are a survivor. I will leave you with your family."

As he left, he hoped that someday that he, too, would have a family like that, who would love him as much.

* * *

Owen saw the Kennedy family, every day, as they visited Peter in the hospital. He looked forward to seeing Cristina and the children because they were such a lively, happy family. He liked interacting with them. Peter was a very lucky man, he thought.

Owen was quite busy these days. The ER was generally action-packed a lot of the time. He and Melissa were coming down to crunch time when it came to their wedding. It was now only a month away. Every day, Melissa would call him to ask him his opinion on some wedding issue. As he told her, she could do whatever she thought was best. He was busy saving lives, he told her. He said the most important thing is that he showed up on the day of the wedding.

It was after one of those phone calls that Owen went to the hospital garden to have a quiet cup of coffee. He saw the head of curls and knew immediately who it was. It was Mrs. Kennedy. She was sitting quietly on a bench, watching the fountain. The children were not around, which he found a little bit strange since they were always with her.

"Hey," he said. "May I join you?" She looked up at him and smiled.

"Certainly," she said. "Always good to have a little bit of company." She patted the bench next to her and he took a seat.

"Where are the kids?" he asked. "They are always around."

"Oh, they've gone to their grandparents. They are staying there for a couple of weeks," she said. "It is rather quiet at the house."

"Oh," he said. "Mr. Kennedy's parents?"

"Um, no. Peter's parents are deceased. They are actually at their maternal grandparents. Peter's first wife, Penelope's parents. They figured they would give me a break, taking care of them, since Peter is still in the hospital." He could hear an edge in her voice and he wondered what was that about.

"You don't get along well with them?" he asked, gently.

"Oh, I get along fine with them," she answered. "It's just that…." She sighed. She studied his face, wondering she could tell him her fears. He had kind eyes, so she decided to go ahead and tell him.

"It's just that when Peter first got into the accident and there was the possibility that he could die, the thought went through my mind that I could lose the kids. After all, I am their stepmother and not their biological mother. Penelope's parents could file for custody as their biological grandparents," she explained. "I love these children. I have been with them, since I was 18, when Peter hired me as their babysitter. I mean you can't wipe away seven years of love and caring."

"I am sure that if things had gone badly for Peter, I don't think that her parents would want to do that to them. They are clearly thriving under your care and I can see the kids love you very much," he told her.

"Yeah, I hope so but I think I would ask Peter to have it drawn up, legally. That if something happens to him, the kids will stay with me," she said, firmly. "The accident proved to me that things can happen at any time. We have to prepare for life's curveballs."

"Yes, we do," Owen replied. "That is a good idea."

"Thank you, Dr. Hunt," she answered with a smile. "This has been a good talk."

"I think you should start calling me Owen," he said, returning the smile. "After all, we have known each other for a month, now."

"Okay, then you can call me Cristina," she said. "Let's shake on that." She held out her hand and he solemnly shook it, noting how soft and small it was.

"I have to go back to the ER now," he said, looking at his watch. She nodded.

"Do you want to meet here every day and have a chat?" she asked, hopefully. "It's nice to be out here, especially when Peter is sleeping."

"Yes," he replied. "I would like that. It is good to have someone to chat with. I will see you tomorrow."

* * *

So they met, every day in the garden to have coffee, while Peter slept in his room. They were becoming good friends, who could talk freely to each other. They talked about everything from her current job search to the trauma fellowship that he hoped to get.

She told him that she was hoping to get a job at one of the many colleges or Universities around the city. They had a lovely Queen Anne house that had been in Peter's family and they wanted to stay in the city. Besides, Peter already had tenure at the University and they couldn't lose that.

He told her about the trauma fellowship that he so badly wanted. He told her that he felt he had the upper hand over his major competition, Donald Shelby because he had gotten more commendations than Shelby. But then, he admitted his fear that Shelby was sucking up to the committee that was going to make the decision about the fellowship.

"You don't have to suck up," she told him. "Keep your dignity. Let your work speak for itself." She looked at her watch. "I have to go now. My graduation is in a couple of hours and I have to get ready. Just going to pop by and say goodbye to Peter and then, head off."

"Your graduation?" he asked. "Is anyone going to be there for you?" He knew the children were at their grandparents' house out-of-state and Peter was in the hospital.

"Well, obviously, Peter cannot make it. My little brother is working on an oilrig in the Gulf of Mexico so he can't make it. My parents are driving up and I hope they get there on time. My dad is the slowest driver on the face of the earth," she said. She looked a little sad as she said it.

Owen asked what time was the graduation. Cristina told him that it was at 6 p.m. In his mind, he started working it out. He got off at five and he could change his clothes and make it across there to be there for her. He didn't want to say anything about going because he wasn't sure he could make it and he did not want to disappoint her, if he couldn't do so.

As she left, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and offered his congratulations. She thanked him and left. He kept checking his watch throughout the rest of the day, hoping that no major emergency would come in. By five, he was headed to the locker room, where he took a quick shower. He headed to his apartment and changed his clothes into a nice dress shirt and dark pants. He felt he looked decent enough and drove to the auditorium, where the graduation was being held.

He grabbed a seat near the back and sat through all of the speeches. He hoped her parents were there for her. If not, at least he was there for her. He felt so proud when they called her name and she came up on stage to accept her diploma.

After the formal proceedings, he searched for her throughout the crowd. Then, he saw her. She was chatting with an older Asian couple. He was glad that her parents had made it in time. He gently tapped her on the shoulder. The look of surprise on her face was priceless. She gave him a huge hug and he tightly hugged her back.

"Owen," she said. "What are you doing here?" She looked up at him, the happiness evident in her face.

"Well, you weren't sure that your parents were going to make it, so I thought I would be here for you, in case they didn't. But seeing that they are here, I am so glad that they made it for you," he said, with a huge grin.

"That was so sweet of you," she said. "Meet my parents, Frank and Ellen Yang. This is my friend, Dr Owen Hunt. He was one of Peter's surgeons."

Frank and Ellen vigorously shook Peter's hand and they thanked him profusely for saving Peter.

"I still can't believe that you did this. I know you are very busy," Cristina said, beaming.

"Well, what are friends for, if not to support each other," Owen said, beaming right back at her.

"Um, do you want to have dinner with us?" Cristina said. "We have reservations at this fancy restaurant. Please say you can make it."

"Yes," he said. "I am starving. I didn't have anything to eat." So the four of them headed to the restaurant to celebrate Cristina's achievement. The conversation was lively and animated. Owen found himself having a wonderful time.

His phone buzzed. He hoped it was not an emergency at the hospital. He checked it and found that it was a text from Melissa about the wedding, again. He shook his head and sighed. He didn't want to talk about the wedding, right now. He put his phone away into his pocket.

Cristina looked at him and asked if he had to go back to the hospital. He told her no and that it was nothing important. They all went back to their dinner and conversation.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them. **


	4. Chapter 4 Melissa

**A/N Sorry it took me a week to update but I was busy with other stuff. In any case, I hope you enjoy it and please leave your reviews. Thanks.**

* * *

It was a nice sunny day and they were sitting on their bench in the garden, having their usual coffee break, which they had been doing for a month, now. It was a good day for another reason, since they both had wonderful news to tell each other.

"So I got a job," Cristina told him, a happy smile on her face.

"Congratulations," he said, returning the smile. "Where? At the University where Peter teaches?"

She shook her head to his question.

"Um, no," she told him. "I will be starting at Greydon College in the fall. By the time, I hope that Peter will be well enough to start back teaching, even if it is on a limited schedule. It would drive him crazy to stay at home."

"I am sure he will," Owen said. "Peter is a determined guy. He has come a long way since the accident. I have got some great news, too."

"Okay," she replied. "Tell me. Is it about the fellowship?"

He nodded and broke out in a huge grin. "Yes, I got it. I got the trauma fellowship. Dr. Caesar told me this morning. It seems that Shelby will have to go elsewhere for his fellowship. I am so happy that they chose me. I mean it is a lot of work but I am so ready to start this fellowship."

"Well, congratulations, Owen. I knew you could do it and you didn't have to sell your dignity to get it. You let your work speak for itself," she said. "I am quite proud of you." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Her lips felt soft against his skin. He could also smell the light floral fragrance that she wore. He closed his eyes and breathed it in.

After the kiss, she found herself, glancing over at Owen, admiring his profile. It was a strong, masculine profile. She really liked the shape of his nose and his high cheekbones. She realized that she found him very attractive. She felt a little disturbed by her thoughts. After all, she was a married woman with two children. But then again, she thought that there was nothing wrong with admiring a handsome man. It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong, she reasoned. Just because she was married, that didn't mean that she was dead and couldn't find other men attractive. There was nothing wrong with it, as long as she did not ogle and make it obvious.

He looked at her, wondering what she was thinking. She seemed to be studying his face, he thought. Maybe he was mistaken because she quickly shifted her eyes to the garden, when he looked at her. Then, he remembered that he had some other great news to tell her.

"Oh, I forgot to say that I had consultations with the other doctors on Peter's case and we think that he is well enough to go home. We will probably discharge him tomorrow," he said. "I think that would make the family happy."

Cristina's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? He can come home. Oh my God. Peter is going to be so ecstatic. He can finally sleep in his own bed. It is just the right time because the kids are coming home from their grandparents' house, tonight. It is going to be a celebration in the Kennedy household."

She laughed. "Things are looking up for us. Thank you, Owen. Thanks for telling me this. I can't wait to tell Peter," she said, reaching out and squeezing his hand in gratitude.

"You are very welcome," Owen said. They continued to chat, while enjoying the sunshine and the company of each other.

* * *

Melissa came into the ER, searching for Owen. She had called him a couple of times, but it had gone straight to voice mail. Their wedding was fast approaching in a couple of days and she wanted to go over some last minute details with him. She had been trying to include him in the wedding preparations but he had begged off, time and time again. While Melissa had a bridal shower and a bachelorette party with her friends and sisters in Vegas, Owen had not done the bachelor's party with any of his friends. She had asked him if he had really wanted to forego that and he said he did. He had already advised his best man that he was not interested in that. He didn't want to spend the night, getting drunk in a strip club. His best man, Mike, his college roommate, had been greatly disappointed and tried to persuade him to do the bachelor party, especially for all of the groomsmen.

Owen had shaken his head, every time Mike tried to bring up the topic. He didn't even know why he had so many groomsmen. Other than his two brothers and his best man, the rest of the groomsmen were Melissa's family. She had a maid of honor and six bridesmaids and needed groomsmen for each of them. Her cousin's daughter, Marissa, was the flower girl, while her nephew, Sean, was the ring bearer.

As Melissa continued to search for Owen in the ER, she wondered why Owen was not more enthusiastic about the wedding. It really irritated her, sometimes. She gave a sigh as she did not see any sign of him.

"Can I help you?" a young male intern in light blue scrubs asked.

"Um, yes," Melissa said. "I am trying to locate Dr Owen Hunt but I can't seem to get on to him. I have tried calling him several times."

The intern looked at his watch to note the time. "Well, he usually takes his break at this time in the hospital garden. He is there every day."

"Oh," Melissa replied. "Can you direct me there?"

"Yeah, sure," the intern said. "You just go along this corridor and make a right. The doors there open to the garden. A lot of our patients like to go out there and get some sun. It is really pretty out there. I am sure you will find him there."

"Why, thank you so much," Melissa said, giving the young intern one of her best smiles. "You have been so helpful."

"No problem," the young man said, taken aback by how dazzling her smile was.

Melissa's long legs swiftly took her to the garden. The intern was right, she thought. The garden was beautiful. No wonder Owen loved to take his coffee breaks out here. She looked around and spotted his strawberry blonde head almost immediately. He was sitting on a bench, facing the fountain. But he wasn't alone. Next to him was a young woman with the most magnificent head of dark curls that she had ever seen. She wondered who the young woman was. She swiftly made it across to the bench.

"Ah, there you are, Owen," she said. Owen looked up, very surprised to see her there. She bent down and gave him a huge smooch on the lips.

"Um, yeah," Owen said. "What are you doing here, Melissa?" Melissa rarely came to the hospital because she didn't like the hospital smell, she had told him once. He had said that she had found it ironic since he was a surgeon and that was his life on a daily basis.

"I have been calling you but you haven't answered your phone," Melissa told him, gently slapping his arm. She eyed Cristina, still wondering about the identity of the woman, who appeared to be quite young.

Cristina, too, was also examining Melissa. She noted that the woman had to be Owen's girlfriend or significant other by the way she had kissed him squarely on the lips. She noted that Melissa was tall with light brown hair and light brown eyes to match.

"I have been trying to call you. Is your phone off?" Melissa asked Owen. He dug into his pocket and acted surprised that it was off. In reality, he usually turned it off, whenever he went on coffee breaks in the garden. He didn't really wanted to be disturbed during his quiet time with his friend.

"How do the folks in the ER get a hold of you, if your phone is off?" Melissa queried.

"Well, I do have my pager. They can call me on that or one of the interns can come get me," Owen said. "They always know where I am at this time."

"Oh, yeah, I guess so. One of the interns told me where you were," Melissa acknowledged. She gave Cristina the once-over. "So aren't you going to introduce me to your _**friend**_?"

Owen didn't like the way Melissa had emphasized the word, "friend". It made it seem that she was thinking that he was doing something wrong, when he wasn't,

"Um, this is Cristina. She is the wife of one of my patients," Owen said. "This is Melissa." The two women stiffly shook hands.

"I am his fiancée," Melissa said. She was relieved that Cristina was the wife of one of Owen's patients and not some co-worker at the hospital.

Cristina nodded. "Pleased to meet you," she said. She wondered why Owen never told her that he was engaged in the two months that they had known each other. She knew that it wasn't any of her business but still, it was a pretty significant thing not to have mentioned.

"We're getting married over the weekend," Melissa offered. "In just a few days, I am going to be Mrs. Melissa Hunt." She said it, very proudly and enthusiastically.

"Congratulations," Cristina said. "I am sure that you will both be very happy. I am going to check on Peter and tell him the good news about him being discharged tomorrow. It was good to meet you, Melissa."

"Likewise," Melissa said, as both she and Owen watched Cristina walk away. They both had very different expressions on their faces. Owen had a wistful look, while Melissa was very triumphant that the intruder (as she viewed Cristina) had left. She took a seat next to Owen on the bench.

"So what was so important that you needed to come and see me?" Owen said.

"It is about the rehearsal dinner," Melissa replied and started going on and on about the restaurant where they had planned to have the dinner. He sat there, quietly but he really wasn't listening to what she was saying. It was just more wedding chatter. He was going to be grateful when it was all over in a few days. Instead, he thought about the fact that there was going to be no more coffee breaks with Cristina ever again, since Peter was going to check out tomorrow. He was sad about that.

* * *

The next day, Owen came in to Peter's room to see Cristina and the children, getting ready to take the patient out of the hospital.

"Here are your discharge papers," he said, handing them over to Cristina.

"Oh, great, so it is official," Peter said. "I am really going home." An attendant was helping him get into his wheelchair.

"Yes, you are and I am sure that you are glad to do so," Owen said. "Isn't that right, kids?"

"Yup," Noel answered. "We have missed dad a lot." Peter ruffled his son's hair.

"So how was your visit to your grandparents?" Owen asked.

"Okay," Olivia replied. "It was nice to visit but we are glad to be home, especially now that Dad is going to be home, too." She gave Owen a sweet smile.

Owen accompanied them as the attendant pushed the wheelchair out of the room and down to the hospital exit doors.

"Well, I guess I will see you guys," Owen said, a little sadly at the exit.

"Goodbye," they all said, as they left.

Owen watched them disappear into the parking lot. He figured it was the last time that he would probably see the Kennedy family. It was just as well, he thought. He didn't trust his feelings around Cristina. She was a married woman with two children, he reminded himself. It was better this way, he thought. After all, he was getting married in a couple of days. He was going to start his new life. He was going to start his fellowship, get married and maybe, have a couple of kids, he thought.

He turned away from the exit and headed back to the ER. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him.

"Owen," Cristina said. He turned around, swiftly to see her standing there. She ran to him and hugged him, tightly. He put his arms around her, too.

"Thank you so much for everything," she said, softly. "You have been a wonderful doctor, but more importantly, an awesome and great friend. Thank you."

He didn't say anything as he held her in his arms and breathed in her fragrance, hoping that he would always remember it.

* * *

**A/N As always, please leave your reviews. I do appreciate them. **


	5. Chapter 5 The Wedding

It had been a couple of days since Peter was discharged from the hospital. He was very happy to be home. After being in the hospital for two months, it was so great to finally be able to sleep in his own bed. Not only that, he was finally be able to sleep with Cristina next to him. Just that thought brought a huge smile to his face.

That was how she found him when she came into the bedroom to clear away his lunch tray.

"Why are you smiling like that?" she asked. "You look like the cat that just ate the canary."

"Just so wonderful to be home," he said. "Come lie down next to me. There is something I need to tell you." He patted the empty space on the bed next to him. She came and lay next to him.

"I spoke to Sherman and told him to draw up the papers to ensure that if anything happens to me, you will be the guardian for the children," he said. "I know that would make you happy."

"I will be so relieved," Cristina said, with a smile. "That would put my mind at ease. I couldn't bear losing the children, if I lost you. I love them like my own." She leaned over and gave him a hug.

"Good," he said. "But don't worry, honey, you won't be losing me anytime soon. I am out of the hospital and I plan to fully recover from this accident. There is also another thing that I wish to discuss."

"Oh," she said. "Is this a day for important discussions?"

"Yup, it surely is," he said. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "I know that we had discussed this before. About having a baby."

"No, no," she said. "Don't worry about that, right now." He put up his hand so she would stop talking.

"No, wait, Cristina. I know that we said that after you graduated from the PhD program, we would try and have a baby," he said. "I know that it is not quite possible at the present moment and I am very sorry."

"It's not your fault," she told him. "No one could have predicted that the accident would have happened." She stroked his face, gently.

"Yeah, I know but I really want to get better, so we could try for the baby," he said. "I know you love the kids like your own but won't it be nice to have another baby in the house? One of your own. I want that, too. Maybe a baby girl with your dark, curly hair. Both Liv and Noel look like me. I think I would like one that looks like you. Won't you like that?"

"Okay," she agreed. "When you get better, we will review this subject again."

"Okay," he said. He pulled her closer to him, so that her head rested on his chest. His mind turned to another topic.

"I am really sorry that I couldn't go to your graduation," he told her. "I wished I could have gone."

"Yeah," she said. "It would have been good if you could have been there but circumstances couldn't be helped."

"Well, at least your parents were there," he said. "And Dr. Hunt." His voice was different, when he said Owen's name. Cristina could sense it. There was intent when Peter said his name.

"Yes, it was very kind of him to come to the graduation," she said. "I had told him that I wasn't sure my parents were going to make it on time. You know how slowly dad drives." She hoped that she sounded casual and revealed nothing in her voice about her conflicting emotions about Dr. Hunt.

"Yes, it was certainly good of him to be there for you," Peter concurred. "You liked him, didn't you?" His voice was steady as he asked that question.

Cristina lifted her head and looked at him. "Yes, I did," she said. "He turned out to be a good friend. We had some great chats every morning when we had coffee." That was very truthful.

"So do you think that you will see him again?" Peter asked.

"Probably not," Cristina said. "Do you know that he is getting married?"

"He is?" Peter replied. "Well, you should have told me. I would have offered him my congratulations." There was a distinct uplift in his voice, as he spoke. It seemed that the news had brought him great cheer.

"I didn't find out until the day before you discharged," she said, remembering when she had met Melissa, who had dropped the bombshell that she was Owen's fiancée. She still didn't understand why Owen didn't tell her about Melissa. It had come as a bit of a shock and she hoped that the surprise wasn't evident on her face.

She continued, "I met his fiancée, Melissa, when she came into the hospital to see him. They're getting married this weekend. Maybe even today."

"Well, good for him," Peter replied. "I hope he will be very happy. As happy as we are." He gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"I am sure he will be," Cristina said. She laid her head against Peter, listening to his heart beat. As she lay there in her husband's arms and thought about Owen and his wedding, she quickly wiped a tiny tear from the corner of her eye. Why was she crying? Why did his wedding bother her so? After all, she was a married woman with two children. She wanted to wish him every ounce of happiness but somehow, she could not. He was getting married and that's that, she told herself.

* * *

Indeed, Owen was getting married at that very moment. He stood at the entrance of the church with his best man, Mike. The church was beautifully decorated. Melissa and the wedding planner had done a tremendous job, he had to admit. Ruefully, he did not have much to do with any of this. He should have been a better bridegroom, he knew. But the truth was that he really didn't think he had much to contribute to the planning process. He didn't know much about flowers or decorations or music or catering. He was pretty sure that Melissa had everything under control. After all, she had been planning this wedding for months.

"So this is it, buddy," Mike said. "Are you ready for this?" Mike slapped Owen on his back. They both looked very handsome in their dark tuxedos.

"Is anyone ever ready for this?" Owen said.

"I am certainly not," Mike said. "That's why you are the one getting married and not me."

"Mike, you really should find yourself a nice girl and settle down," Owen told him, with a laugh.

"Nope, I can't find a girl that will have me," Mike replied. "They usually dump me after three months."

"Or is it that you dump them after three months?" Owen responded, shaking his head. "The last time you had a relationship with a girl for longer than three months was back in college. Maureen Finnister, was it? You went out with her for about 18 months. You should check her out and see how she is doing. Clearly, she had the secret to endure your personality."

"Nah. She is probably married with two kids," Mike said. "She did the right thing, getting rid of me because I am still not ready to get married."

Owen looked at his watch. "I guess we should take our places at the top of the aisle. The wedding planner is coming across." Farrah, the wedding planner, was indeed headed their way.

"Gentlemen, would everyone please make their way to the altar? This ceremony is about to start," Farrah said, gathering the men up like if they were sheep and steering them in the right direction.

Owen, Mike and the groomsmen took their places. They only had a few minutes to settle down when the string quartet started to play.

"This is it," Mike whispered to Owen. "It's now or never."

First, the flower girl and the ring bearer made it down the aisle, then the bridesmaids and the maid of honor. Finally, Melissa and her father were at the entrance and coming down the aisle. Melissa looked beautiful, he thought. She had the biggest smile on her face. She was practically beaming down the aisle.

When her father finally handed her over to Owen, he whispered to her that she looked lovely. He was rewarded with a toothy smile.

As he stood there, the reverend started the ceremony. Even though Melissa was right in front of him, his mind started to wander, as he thought of another woman – a young Asian woman with dark, curly hair. He wondered what she was doing. He hadn't seen or heard from Cristina, since the day Peter was discharged. Maybe, it was just as well. After all, he was getting married, he thought.

Logic demanded that he stop thinking about her. He was in front of all of his friends and family, getting married to another woman but still, it was hard to get her out of his mind. He wondered what it would be like if she were the one who was standing next to him right now. In his mind's eye, he could already picture her there. He was so lost in his daydreams that he lost track of what was going on in the ceremony.

It was only when he heard Melissa saying his name that he was brought back to reality. "Owen?" she said, a questioning look on his face. "Answer him."

"What?" Owen replied. There was a small murmur among the wedding guests.

"Dude!" Mike whispered. The reverend cleared his throat.

"Let me do that again. Do you, Owen Hunt, take Melissa Grant, as your lawful wedded wife, to have and hold from this day forward?" the reverend said.

Owen looked at Melissa, who still had the same enquiring look. She looked a little panicked because it seemed like Owen could be changing his mind. He could see the hurt in her eyes. He knew he could not do this to her in front of everybody. Plus his daydreams were not real, he reminded himself. Cristina was just a fantasy in his brain. She was married, he told himself. She wasn't there in front of him; Melissa was. He knew that Melissa loved him very much. That, he was sure about. He had no idea if Cristina even had feelings for him.

Then, he said the words that his brain did not want to say. "I…I…do," he stammered out. He could see Melissa breathe a sigh of relief.

"Wow, seriously!" he heard Mike whisper. He could hear the incredulous tone in Mike's voice.

After the formal part of the ceremony, the reverend said, "I am proud to introduce you to Dr and Mrs. Owen Hunt." Everyone in the church clapped wildly in congratulations. They all looked so happy but he realized he was the only one who felt absolutely miserable.

* * *

At the reception, his mood did not improve. He appeared normal on the surface but on the inside, he felt like he was dying inside. Everyone came up and offered him their congratulations. He could hear Melissa telling one of her older relatives that they were going to try right away for a baby. Melissa said she was 30 years old and wanted to get her baby-making out of the way before she hit 35. The older relative nodded in agreement.

They did all of what was expected of them – the first dance, the cutting of the cake, the throwing of the bouquet, the tossing of the bride's garter. All through it, Owen had a dazed look and a frozen smile on his face.

As the wedding reception was winding down, they changed their clothes and were going to hit the airport, as they had a flight to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Before they left, Mike gave Owen a hug. "Congratulations, Owen. You had me going there for a while at the church. I didn't know if you were going to through with it. I think everyone in the church was holding their breath." Owen sighed.

"Mike, I have to tell you this. You are the only one I can tell this," Owen said. "You cannot repeat this to anybody."

"Okay, you know you can trust me, buddy," Mike said, putting an arm around Owen's shoulder.

Owen looked at his friend with pained eyes. "I think I made a mistake," he said. Mike's eyes widened at what he had just heard.

"Come on, Owen," Melissa said, grabbing Owen's arm. "The limo is waiting." As they left and everyone cheered them on, Mike stared at the departing limo with a worried expression etched on to his face.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them.**


	6. Chapter 6 Marriage

It was on the honeymoon that Owen decided to make the best out of the decision he had made at the wedding. While he may have thought it had been a mistake, he rationalized to himself that maybe he could be happy. After all, he had known Melissa for two years and maybe, it would work out in the end. It wasn't like if even he had a chance with Cristina. She was still married to Peter and a step-mom to his two kids. Being with her was next to impossible. Maybe she wouldn't even want him, he thought.

As he watched Melissa frolicking among the waves, he made up his mind. He was going to be a good husband. Melissa deserved to have a good husband, and possibly, he would be a good father, too. She waved at him from the water and he waved back. He got up and joined her, running towards her as he did so.

* * *

When he got back from his one-week honeymoon, his whole perspective had changed. Yes, he was a married man and he had to give this marriage a fair shot. Melissa was moving into his house and he helped move her stuff in. The house looked over-crowded with both his and her stuff and they decided to have a yard sale to get rid of some of the older stuff, since they had received a lot of new appliances and household items among their wedding gifts.

Mike came over to help. He had been dying to speak to Owen, since they came back from the honeymoon but Owen had been too busy to chat. It was during a lull at the yard sale that Mike got a chance to speak to Owen. Mike looked across at Melissa, who was busy negotiating the sale of some glassware with a potential customer.

"So I am surprised by all of this," Mike said, waving his hand over the yard sale.

"The yard sale?" Owen said, a little perplexed.

"Um, no, well, yeah. The yard sale and the joining of your lives into one house," Mike replied. "The last words you told me were that you thought you had made a mistake."

Owen let out a big breath. "Well, at the time, I thought I did."

"So you've changed your mind?" Mike asked. Over the period of one week, Owen's views on his marriage had changed and Mike wanted to know why.

"Yes. I decided to make the best of it," Owen said, firmly. Yes, he certainly did.

"So why? What caused your second thoughts in the first place?" Mike said, more than a little confused now. He had always thought that Melissa and Owen had been a solid couple and that moment of hesitance at the wedding had really thrown him for a loop.

Owen looked at his friend with the strangest of expressions. Not that he wanted to admit what he felt for Cristina to anyone but he needed someone to talk to about his conflicted feelings.

"There was someone else," he finally said. Mike's eyes grew huge.

"You cheated on Melissa!" Mike shrieked. People looked at across in their direction but not Melissa, who was still working at negotiating a price with her customer.

"Would you please keep that down?" Owen said, a little angrily. He had certainly expected Mike to exercise a little more discretion than that. After all, there were people around, including Melissa. He gave his friend a glare.

Mike repeated his question about whether he cheated on Melissa, in a much softer voice.

"No," Owen said. "I did not cheat on Melissa. Let me make that clear."

"But you said there was someone else," Mike said, mindful to keep his voice down.

"Yes but it isn't like you think," Owen replied. "She was a patient's wife. Her husband had got into a car accident and he had come into our ER." He thought about the first time he had seen Cristina and how he had promised her that he would save Peter.

"This just gets worse and worse. Did her husband die?" Mike asked. He slapped his hand on his forehead.

"No, I saved him. Well, me and two other doctors did," Owen said. "He recovered from it. But while he was recovering at the hospital, I got to know her better because she used to come to the hospital every day. We used to have these little coffee mornings in the hospital garden, where we chatted about everything. I even went to her PhD graduation ceremony, as a friend, of course, to give her support, since her husband was still in the hospital."

Mike stared at Owen. "Go on, continue."

"I began to develop feelings for her," Owen admitted. "Being with her every day was the highlight of my day. I looked forward to that more than anything. The day her husband left the hospital was the last day I saw her. I haven't heard from or seen her since. And it is probably better that way." He sighed, heavily.

"Whoa, that is huge, dude," Mike said. "Falling for a married woman. That is no bueno."

"Yup," Owen replied. "Plus she has two step kids."

Mike threw his hands up in the air. "Well, I guess you made the right decision, bro. Married and two kids. Yup, it is best to stick with Melissa, even though it seems like you consider her a consolation prize."

Even though it should not be that way, Owen knew it was true. Melissa was the consolation prize. He had already lost out on the blue ribbon. He looked across at Melissa, who waved happily at him.

* * *

Melissa was good on her word that she wanted to try, immediately for the baby. She had thrown away all forms of birth control and declared that it was baby making time. First, they did it any time they felt like and hoped that nature would just take its course. They did it for six months and when nothing happened, they decided to go see the doctor to find out whether either of them had a problem. It turned out that neither of them did, so the doctor told them to continue trying, as normal. They did it again for another six months, but still nothing happened.

The doctor told them to start charting Melissa's ovulation period and to have sex at those times. They did that faithfully for six months but still, there was no positive result. Again, the doctor tested them to find out if anything was wrong but the result was the same. There was nothing problematic about either of their reproductive systems.

"It may be unexplained infertility," he said, gravely. "You will probably not be able to conceive, normally. Of course, you are lucky that we live in this age of advancement in terms of making babies. We can try in-vitro fertilization."

As a doctor, Owen knew much about in-vitro fertilization, where they would implant an embryo or embryos into the mother's uterus and hope that it would take. As the doctor explained everything to Melissa about what was required, Owen could see her getting more and more excited. It was clear that she wanted to pursue it. She was so hungry for a baby. He could see it her eyes.

"Can we get started right away?" she had said. The doctor looked at Owen, who had been quiet throughout much of the appointment. Owen nodded. Whatever Melissa wanted, he was willing go forward with it.

The doctor said, "Great. Let's work out a schedule for you."

The first time they tried, Melissa was sure it was going to happen. But no, it did not. The second time they tried, she became pregnant. Melissa was over the moon with joy. But by the eighth week, the mood turned to sadness as she had a miscarriage. She became quite depressed after that so Owen knew that it was time to take a break. In the first two and a half years of their marriage, it was all about the baby-making and their unsuccessful efforts at it. He decided that it was time to let Melissa heal from this loss.

He was surprised that after six months, she wanted to try again. He asked her if she was sure. She told him that she was certain. This time, it will happen, she said. After all, the third time is the charm. He was worried and told her so. She told him that this was what she wanted more than anything.

So they underwent their third round of in-vitro and she became pregnant. Melissa was beyond ecstatic. Owen was happy, too. They both breathed a sigh of relief, when she passed the eighth week without any worries. But it was in the 10th week that he heard a cry coming from the bathroom, where Melissa was taking a shower. He rushed in to find her, crying in the shower as she showed him the blood on the shower floor. He knew she had probably miscarried. He had rushed her to the hospital but it was too late. They did a D&C on her.

When he brought her home and she went to her bed, she turned away from him. He knew she was depressed, again. For months, she was in a blue funk, unwilling to do anything. He tried to get her out of it. He suggested therapy and she agreed to do it because she knew she could not continue to be this way.

After one of her therapy sessions, Melissa came home and told him that she had made up her mind about something. He was shocked when she told him that she wanted a divorce. She said her sessions had made her realize that their marriage had only been about trying for a baby and somewhere along the way, they had lost the passion for each other. Her heart was no longer in the marriage and it was best that they went their separate ways.

Owen asked if she was sure about this. She said she was 100 per cent certain. Owen agreed to the divorce. In a way, he felt a sense of relief that it was over. Four years of this marriage had taken a toll on both of them. He thought back about the decision he made during their honeymoon to make an effort at this marriage. He wondered if he had given enough because his heart had always been elsewhere. Melissa moved out of the house and went to live with her parents. He was all alone in his house, as their divorce proceedings moved forward.

* * *

It had now been a year since he and Melissa divorced. He hadn't really started dating again. Even though he noticed that some of the residents and nurses gave him appreciative glances, he really wasn't interested. He had thrown himself into his work. He was now the deputy head of the ER and he enjoyed it very much.

It was fairly quiet in the ER, a rare occasion for this. Then, the doors of the emergency bay opened and the paramedics were wheeling an auburn-haired teenager in. The boy was wearing a football uniform.

"What do we have here?" Owen said, as the paramedics wheeled the gurney into an exam room.

"Seventeen-year-old high school student Noel Kennedy, knocked out unconscious in the middle of a football game," the paramedic said. "He is conscious now but he suffered a possible concussion."

Owen took a good look at the handsome young man with his auburn hair and bright green eyes. "Noel?" he said.

"Hey, Dr Hunt, how are you?" the boy said. He had certainly grown up. The last time Owen had seen Noel, the boy was only 12 years old.

"It's really you, Noel," he said. If Noel was here, that meant that Cristina would not be too far behind. "Where is your step-mom?"

He could not believe how much his heart was leaping with joy. He would see Cristina again.

"Oh, she'll be here," Noel said. "She was in the car, driving behind the ambulance." It was as if on cue, he heard Cristina's voice.

"Noel," she said, as she came running towards them.

"I am okay, Cristina," Noel said, trying to reassure her.

"Well, only the doctor knows that for sure," she told him. She looked up and stared at Owen. "Owen?" Her face broke out in a huge grin. "It's you."

"Yeah, it's me," he said. He, too, could not stop smiling. Then, they heard more running feet, as Olivia joined them.

"I am here," she said. She had turned out to be very pretty with her auburn hair and green eyes. In her arms, she carried a toddler – a baby girl about two years old. She had dark curly hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was the most beautiful child Owen had ever seen.

Cristina had a baby for Peter. After all of the trouble he and Melissa had in trying to conceive, he didn't know how to feel.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. The next chapter will focus on what happened to Cristina in the five years since they last saw each other.**


	7. Chapter 7 Baby

**A/N This chapter details what happened to Cristina in the five years that she and Owen have not seen each other.**

* * *

Cristina stared at the wedding picture of Owen and Melissa in the newspaper. It made her heart ache. Melissa was all smiles but Owen had a strange expression, she thought. Peter came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"What's that?" he asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Just Dr Hunt and his new bride," she said. She hoped that her voice did not betray her inner emotions.

"Oh," he said, taking a better look at the picture. "I hope they will be very happy, just like us."

"Yeah, me too," she replied. She wasn't sure that she meant it. She put the paper down, turned around and hugged him, burying her face into his chest.

* * *

It was 18 months after the accident that Peter said that they should try for the baby. Cristina wasn't too sure about that. She was enjoying her job very much at Greydon College and she wasn't at all sure that she was ready for a baby. She had a very full life, already with two teenagers and her career, teaching at the college. But she could see how happy it would make Peter. His eyes lit up when she told him that she would think about it.

It took her another six months to warm up to the idea of bringing another baby Kennedy into the world. When she told him, Peter had picked her up and spun her around in the kitchen. They stopped using condoms that very same day. She figured it would take a couple of months of trying before they could even get pregnant. To her surprise, she got pregnant, almost immediately. She and Peter were obviously very fertile.

Her pregnancy was very uneventful. It was an easy pregnancy and she was so grateful for that. When the baby girl was born at the hospital, Peter was the happiest she had ever seen him. He held the baby girl in his arms and sang to her. It made her happy to see him so happy.

"What do you want to call her?" she asked him.

"I was thinking of the name Kady," Peter said. "Kady Kennedy. That sounds so sassy."

"I like that," Cristina replied. "Kady. Give her to me." Peter put the sleeping baby in Cristina's arms.

"Hey there, Kady," Cristina said, stroking her baby's cheek. "Do you like your name?"

Peter sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. "She is so beautiful, Cristina. We really did good." He kissed her on the lips.

"Yup," Cristina agreed. She never knew she could love someone as much as she loved Kady. Her lips brushed the baby's forehead.

* * *

Life in the Kennedy household continued on a high note with the children achieving both academic and in Noel's case, sporting achievements. Baby Kady was growing up with a very cheerful disposition. Her hair was growing out to be dark and curly. She always had a smile for her parents and her siblings, whenever she saw them. Olivia and Noel loved their baby sister so much. Life was pretty great for the Kennedy family until that day, when tragedy struck.

It was Noel who found Peter on the floor of the study. He checked his father and immediately started CPR. He screamed for Cristina and Olivia for help. As Olivia called 911, Noel and Cristina took turns in applying CPR. By the time the paramedics got there, they were still at it. When the paramedics took over, Cristina and the children hugged each other to comfort each other. They were all crying.

Though the paramedics tried to shock Peter's heart, there was no response. The lead paramedic shook his head. Peter was not coming back. He was gone.

* * *

The funeral had been very well attended. Peter was very well loved at the University. Lots of his current and former students attended the church service. Many faculty members showed up. The President of the University also paid his respects.

Cristina was totally numb, as she sat there in the church, holding her one year old baby in her arms. Everyone came up to her and the children and offered their condolences. It was the same at the house, too, as people brought a lot of food. The refrigerator and standing freezer were packed to capacity with all types of casseroles. They didn't have to cook for two weeks, Olivia thought, as she tried to find place for another casserole.

When everyone had left, it was just the four of them all alone in the house. Cristina took Kady into her bedroom and they lay on the bed. The baby was gurgling happily, unaware of the major shift in the household dynamics.

"You won't even know how great your dad was, Kady," Cristina said, kissing the baby on her soft cheek. Kady smiled and touched her mother's face. "He was the best daddy, Kady. He loved you and Noel and Olivia so so much. I wish he would have been around to see you grow up. He wanted you so badly."

She thought about what his doctor had said. Peter's heart was never the same after the accident. It turned out that his heart had been weakened. Eventually, it just gave out.

As she lay there, stroking the baby's hair, there was a knock on the door and Olivia peeked in. "Can I stay with you for the night?" she asked.

"Sure," Cristina said, patting the space next to her. Olivia jumped in the bed, immediately next to her, occupying the space where Peter once slept. There was another knock and this time, it was Noel. He was 16 and felt self-conscious about asking to stay in the bedroom with her.

She nodded, as Noel brought in his sleeping bag and placed it on the floor. When it was time to switch off the lights, it was only baby Kady who slept, as Cristina, Noel and Olivia talked about the best memories they had of Peter.

"He was the best dad," Noel said. "I am going to miss him so much." He sniffled and wiped away a tear.

"Yes, he was," Olivia agreed. She, too, started to cry and snuggled up next to Cristina.

"The best husband," Cristina added, as a sob escaped her. The three of them lay there, in their collective grief.

* * *

"So we're going to be there, this evening, for your football game," Cristina told Noel. "I will pick Kady up from daycare after I am done at the University." She turned to Olivia, who was feeding her two year old sister her breakfast. Kady smiled happily at her mom when Cristina had mentioned her name.

"Olivia, is Sam going to drop you off?" Cristina asked her step-daughter.

Olivia nodded. "He is going to drop me off but he has to go to work, so he won't be staying for the game." Sam was Olivia's boyfriend and worked as a pizza delivery guy after school.

"Okay," Cristina said. "So I guess that means we will all come home, together after the game."

Noel looked at his step-mom and cleared his throat. He really wanted to say something, Cristina could tell.

"Yes, Noel?" she said, expectantly. "What would you like to say?" She looked at her tall, handsome, 17-year-old stepson with a smile on her face. Whenever Noel wanted to broach a touchy topic, he would clear his throat, first.

"I was thinking, Cristina that maybe, it is time to start dating, again," he said. "Dad has been gone for about 15 months now." Olivia looked up, sharply. It would be very hard for her to see Cristina dating, again, she knew. She still missed her father very much and could not fathom the idea that someone would take her dad's place in Cristina's life.

"Maybe Cristina isn't ready for that," Olivia interjected.

"Oh, come on," Noel said. "She can't be taking care of us, all of the time. She is only 30 years old, Olivia. Both you and I are going to be leaving for college. I am leaving next fall and you're leaving the fall after that. It will only be Cristina and Kady here. I mean Cristina is beautiful and I am sure that there would be a lot of guys who would love to take her out. She needs a life outside of us."

Cristina laughed. "I am not so sure about that. I am a mom with three kids. I am not sure that many guys would be willing to take on that. I love you all with every fiber of my being but I am not sure there is a guy out there who would love you as much as I do. It is hard to take on a ready-made family and I understand that."

Noel shook his head. "Cristina, you need to get out there, back in the dating pool. I mean you should have someone – a companion. Everyone needs someone. I mean I wish Dad were here but he is not," Noel said. Cristina sighed.

"At least think about it, Cristina," Noel said. "I know that Mr. Jeffries at the pharmacy asked you out when you picked up Kady's prescription, last week."

"What? Noel Kennedy, I am not attracted to Mr. Jeffries," Cristina said. "He is not my type." She knew of someone who was her type but he was probably happily married with two kids by now. It was a long time since she had thought about Owen Hunt. She wondered why she thought about him, now.

"Well, it is just a start," Noel said. "Get your feet wet. Just get back out there. Maybe, you will find someone who is your type."

Olivia said nothing, as she continued to listen to the conversation. She knew she was being selfish about not wanting Cristina to date but she didn't want her step-mom to forget about her dad.

"Okay, Noel. I will think about it," Cristina finally said. "Are you satisfied?"

"Yes," Noel said, with a grin.

* * *

Olivia joined Cristina in the stands and took Kady from Cristina and placed her on to her lap.

"I am sorry that I am late but I had to go with Sam on a pizza delivery before he dropped me off," Olivia said. Her baby sister cooed in her arms.

"Okay," Cristina said. "The game is very tight, today. It is a tough one. We are up by three points." Then, she screamed, "Come on, Noel!"

Noel was the wide receiver of the team and after catching the ball, he was taken down by two players from the other team. It was only when Noel did not get up that Cristina realized something was wrong.

"Olivia, he's hurt!" she screamed, as she got up and started running down to the field. She was stopped from running on to the field but her heart was pounding, as they removed her step-son on a stretcher and carried him to the locker room. Cristina ran on the side of the stretcher, saying Noel's name.

It was in the locker room where he was being examined that Noel finally opened his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked. "Cristina, where am I?"

"In the locker room," she told him. "You were knocked out on the field."

"Oh, gosh, no," Noel said, slapping his forehead. "What's happening in the game?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Cristina said. "I just want you to be okay." She stroked Noel's head.

"We're going to take him to the hospital. He needs to be checked out for possible concussion," the trainer of the team told her. "The ambulance will take him, now. You can follow the ambulance to the hospital."

"Okay," Cristina said. "I will see you there, Noel. Livvy, Kady and I will be there." She ran out of the locker room and gathered up her daughters and headed to the hospital. Her heart was pounding, as she drove behind the ambulance.

"Noel is going to be okay, right, Cristina?" Olivia asked.

"I hope so," Cristina said. When they reached the hospital, she realized that it was the same hospital where they had taken Peter five years ago after the accident. It was where Owen worked. She almost could not believe it.

"It's here," Olivia said, remembering the hospital where they had taken her dad.

"Yes," Cristina said. "Would you get Kady out of the car seat and join me in the ER? I want to get in there as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Go ahead. I will be there." Cristina leapt out of the car and rushed into the ER. They were already seeing Noel. She ran up to his name and said his name. It was only when she looked up, she saw that it was Owen, who was the ER doctor, treating Noel. She softly said his name.

Then, Olivia appeared with baby Kady in her arms, announcing that she was there. Cristina caught Owen staring at Kady. He had an expression on his face that she couldn't quite figure out.

"This is Kady," she said, touching the toddler on her arm. Owen looked at her and she wondered if that was pain she was seeing in his eyes.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them. **


	8. Chapter 8 A Warning

Owen said, "Hey, Kady." The tiny girl smiled at the sound of her name. "Aren't you the prettiest girl ever?"

He turned his attention back to Noel. "I guess we will have to do a scan to make sure that everything is okay. It is a good thing that you are conscious but concussions can be very tricky. You may seem alright and then, it affects you, later. So we have to be careful, when treating concussions."

"Okay," Noel said."A scan it is." Cristina squeezed her step-son's hand.

"So will Peter be here soon?" Owen asked. All members of the Kennedy family were accounted for, except for the father.

Noel and Olivia exchanged looks but it was Cristina who spoke. "Peter died 15 months ago. His heart gave out while he was in the study. Noel and I tried CPR but it didn't work. By the time, the paramedics came, he was already gone." Her voice was very quiet, as she spoke. Owen could tell from her voice how deeply affected she and the children still were from Peter's death.

"I am so sorry," Owen said. "My deepest condolences." He was indeed sorry that they had lost Peter. Peter had been, from all accounts, a great dad and a fine husband.

"So are all of us," Olivia said. "He was the best dad ever." Noel nodded in agreement.

"I just wished he could have seen Kady grow up," Noel said. "Olivia and I are practically grown up. I am going to college, soon and so is Livvy but Kady won't know how great our dad was."

"I will tell her," Cristina said, firmly. "Kady will know about Peter and how much he loved her and how happy he was when she was born. Yes, she certainly will."

It was quiet as everyone thought about Peter. Owen decided to change the subject.

"So you are going off to college, soon. You are a senior, now?" he asked Noel.

"Yes," Noel said. "I have already applied to a couple of schools and hopefully, I will get a scholarship to help Cristina with the college costs. Dad set up trusts for our college education but he didn't have time to do one for Kady. So if I get a scholarship, I can put some of the money for Kady's education."

Owen thought Noel was such a fine boy. "So an athletic scholarship?" he asked. He wondered because it seemed that Noel was a pretty good athlete.

"Um, no," Cristina interjected. "We are looking at merit and academic scholarships. Noel has the grades and all of his extra-curricular activities to make him an attractive candidate."

Noel added, "I am a good athlete but I think that there are better athletes. I guess I am good enough for high school football but I do not foresee a career in pro sports. Look at me, I already got a concussion." He laughed.

"So without further ado, let's get you up for your scan," Owen said. He called over an attendant, gave him the instructions to take Noel to get his scan.

It was only Cristina, Olivia and Owen left behind in the ER. It was an awkward silence before Cristina spoke.

"So how is Melissa?" Cristina asked. "Do you have kids?"

"Melissa and I got divorced a year ago," Owen said. "Things didn't work out between us. We were not blessed to have kids." His voice had a matter-of-fact tone. He didn't sound all that broken up about his divorce, Cristina thought or maybe she was letting her emotions get in the way of how she viewed his statement. Her heart gave a little leap, as she realized that he was now free.

"Oh," she said. "I am sorry to hear that." What else could she say about someone's divorce? Still, she could not help herself and gave a small smile, as she reached out and touched his arm. He returned the smile with one of his own. They stood there, smiling at each other.

Olivia observed the two of them. She wasn't stupid; she could tell that there were some sort of sparks going on between the good doctor and her step-mom. All she could think about was her father. Her handsome, wonderful father who loved Cristina with all of his heart. How could Cristina think about moving on, so soon? She knew Noel wanted Cristina to start dating again but she couldn't face her step-mom dating another man. What about Kady? She would view any new man as her dad. That would just be terrible.

The smiles between Owen and Cristina were interrupted by Kady's little voice. The toddler tugged at her mother's sleeve and said, "Mama, pee-pee."

"Oh, alright, Kady," Cristina said, taking the tiny girl from Olivia's arms. "We're potty-training her. So I guess I am just going to head the restroom and we will be right back."

Owen and Olivia watched as Cristina disappeared down the corridor and entered the restroom.

"Olivia, you can take a seat in the waiting room, if you want," Owen said. He felt a little uncomfortable in Olivia's presence as he could sense some animosity coming from the 16-year-old.

"Okay," she said. She was about to leave, when she turned around to face Owen.

"Cristina is not ready to move on as yet," she told him. "She took my dad's death very hard. She loved him very much. She hasn't dated since he died." Then, she turned away and headed to the waiting room.

Owen was taken aback by Olivia's boldness. It was a clearly a warning to stay away from Cristina.

* * *

When Noel returned to the ER, Owen checked over his scans. "Well, it seems everything is okay so I am going to send him home. However, Cristina, you and Olivia should take turns in observing Noel throughout the night. Make sure he wakes up when you shake him."

"Oh, God, no. I wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep," Noel complained.

"Better than you dying on us," Cristina said, drily. She turned to Owen. "I am sorry that we don't more time to chat but you can call if you want to catch up. We are in the phone book."

Olivia observed her in alarm. It was a clear invitation from Cristina to Owen to call her. What in the world was Cristina thinking? Olivia was not pleased, not one bit.

An attendant helped Noel into a wheelchair and as they headed out of the ER, both Cristina and Olivia turned around to give Owen a look. He noticed the stark difference in their expressions – Cristina had a warm and happy smile, while Olivia's face had a look of warning.

* * *

Two months had passed since Noel's trip to the ER. Many a time, Owen had thought about calling her but he didn't because he remembered Olivia's face. She clearly did not want him calling her step-mom. He wondered if Noel felt the same way. He knew that the children played a major part in Cristina's life and he didn't want to impose in their family life, if they didn't want him. At least, he was pretty sure that Olivia didn't want him.

He was with his friend, Mike at the local bar, having a drink, after a long, hard shift at the hospital.

"So what about that one?" Mike asked, pointing out a cute blonde at the end of the bar.

"She's cute," Owen agreed, continuing to drink his beer.

"So? Make a move," Mike said, a little exasperated. "It has been more than a year since you and Melissa divorced. You have got to get back out there. You are a handsome man. Look at all of the women in here, who have been giving you the eye since you stepped in. If I looked like you, I would be raking in the girls."

"Oh, please," Owen said. He gave a cursory glance around the room. "There is nobody here that I want to date."

"So who do you want to date?" Mike said. "There are some fine specimens in here and you are not interested."

"I saw her again, about two months ago," Owen said. "She came in with her step-son who suffered a concussion in a football game."

"Who?" Mike asked. "Who came in?" Then, he remembered Owen telling him about the woman, who almost ended Owen's marriage before it even started. "Oh, you mean _**SHE **_came in. So, how did she look? It's been about five years, hasn't it?"

"Still lovely," Owen said. "She is 30, now. She has a two year old." Mike was silent. He knew about Owen and Melissa's struggles to get pregnant and it must have hit his friend hard that the woman of his dreams had a baby.

"Oh," Mike said. "Was her husband there, too?"

"No," Owen said. "He died 17 months ago." Mike could not believe his ears. This meant that the woman was free to date.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Why didn't you ask her out? You're divorced, she is widowed. You are both free to date," Mike said. "I am not being callous about her husband's death but this is the perfect opportunity."

"It sounds like it, right? But her teenaged step-daughter warned me off and told me that Cristina was not ready to move on," Owen replied. "Maybe I need to give her a little more time."

"Wow, you are letting a teenager get the better of you," Mike said, shaking his head. "You know what you need to do. You need to go out on a date with anybody. Just get back out there. So when it is time to ask her out, you would have had a few dates under your belt. The last time you dated anybody other than Melissa was more than seven years ago. Times have changed, my friend."

Owen screwed up his face. "Um, no," he said. "I don't want to date just anybody." Mike threw his hands up in the air.

"Yes, you are going to date someone. I am going to make it easy for you," Mike said. "You know that girl I am dating? Tabitha? Let me fix you up with a friend of hers. That way, you are going to ease into the dating scene. Tabitha, I am sure, has some lovely friends. Come on, Owen. Time to get back out there."

Owen looked unsure but finally, he said, "Okay. Just one date. No commitments after that."

"Fine," Mike said. Owen listened as Mike called Tabitha to ask her if she had a friend who would like to go on a double date with them and a handsome friend of his. Owen felt that it made him sound pathetic. He sighed. It was just going to be one date and he could live through that.

* * *

Tabitha hung up the phone and laughed. She was sitting in Cristina's kitchen, having just finished up dinner. She was having some dessert, along with coffee. She continued to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Cristina asked. "What is so funny?"

"Mike, the guy I am dating, that was him. He wants me to fix up one of his friends with a friend of mine. His friend got divorced and Mike wants him to get back into dating," Tabitha said. She looked at her friend, curiously. "What about you, Cristina? You up for it?"

"Me?" Cristina said, aghast.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you have been sitting at home since Peter died. You need to get back out there. Maybe this guy will help you do that," Tabitha said. "Come on, be a sport."

Cristina sighed. Owen had not called her, since they met him in the ER. She had practically invited him to call her. He probably wasn't interested, she thought. Maybe she wasn't his type. She sighed, again. Owen Hunt was probably a lost cause. She figured she might as well go out on a date with Mike's friend. It won't hurt to see what was out there.

"Okay, Tabby," Cristina said. "Fine, let's do it. I hope this guy isn't some loser."

"Awesome," Tabitha replied. "I will let Mike know." Cristina listened as Tabitha called back Mike and told him that the double date was set.

Mike hung up the phone and looked at Owen. "You, my friend, have a date." Owen nodded. He hoped he was not going to regret this.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them.**


	9. Chapter 9 The Double Date

Cristina got into the passenger seat of Tabitha's car. She nervously buckled herself in. Then, Tabitha backed out of the driveway and they were on their way.

"What's the matter with you?" Tabitha asked. She had noticed how Cristina's fingers fumbled as she put on her seatbelt.

"I am so nervous. I haven't dated in so long. Remember I met Peter when I was 18. He is the only guy I have ever been with," Cristina admitted. "I am actually trying to impress a man, tonight. My heart is pounding."

"You don't have to be nervous, Cristina," Tabitha replied. "If you don't like the guy, it isn't the end of the world. We will just find you a new date."

Cristina breathed out, loudly. She looked at the outfit she was wearing. She was wearing dark jeans, a white blouse and a black leather jacket. She had agonized for hours over what outfit she should wear. It was a casual restaurant since Tabitha and Mike didn't want to put too much pressure on their friends and having them dress up.

"How do I look?" Cristina asked. "I tried on so many different outfits. I asked Olivia but she was no help. In fact, she seemed to be in a royal snit for the entire day. She said she didn't have time to babysit Kady and maybe, I shouldn't go out. She told me that she was going to meet her boyfriend to go to the movies, since tonight is one of his free nights from working at the pizza parlor. Thankfully, Noel said that he was willing to babysit Kady, since he was going to be home, studying for an exam."

"Aww, that Noel is such a good boy. So tall and handsome, too," Tabitha said. "If only I were 13 years younger."

"Leave my kid alone, Tabby. You already have a boyfriend," Cristina reminded her.

"Oh, yeah," Tabitha said. "Good old Mike. Well, you know Mike and I have only been going out for two months, now. So far, it is going well."

"Do you think that he is the one?" Cristina asked. She knew that Tabitha had a whole series of boyfriends, ever since their days from doing the PhD program together.

"How the heck should I know?" Tabitha said, shaking her head. "But for two months, it is okay."

"By the way, did Mike tell you his friend's name?" Cristina asked. "I realized today that I didn't know his name."

"You know, he didn't," Tabitha replied. "He just told me that his friend has a good job and is handsome." The two friends laughed.

"Do you think that it is code for something else?" Cristina giggled. "I guess it is great that he has a good job. That is a major plus.

"Oh, by the way, Mike and I have worked out an arrangement, regarding who takes you back home," Tabitha said, staring intently in front of her. She could see the restaurant sign just around the corner.

"Oh," Cristina said. "What is it? Do I have to get a cab home because you and Mike need to do a little something tonight?"

Tabby cackled, loudly. "Um, no. We decided that if you like the guy, he can take you home, tonight. If you don't, we will go home just the way we came, with me dropping you off."

"Oh, good," Cristina said. "I am glad that you all decided that. I really don't want to have some strange guy, dropping me off, especially if we don't hit it off. Oh, there is the restaurant. I am so excited and so nervous at the same time."

Tabitha leaned over and patted her friend's hand.

* * *

In the restaurant, Mike and Owen sat in a corner booth. Owen was tapping his fingers against the table. He was full of nervous energy.

"Stop that, will you?" Mike said. "You are driving me crazy. It's like you have never dated before."

"I can't believe I am doing this," Owen replied. "I can't believe you talked me into this. I haven't dated in so long, especially since you didn't even bother to find out the friend's name."

"Dude, you have got to relax," Mike said. He called over the waitress and ordered a couple of beers. "Maybe, a beer will help you out."

"Maybe," Owen replied. "By the way, do I look okay? Do I look like a man who has not dated in a while?"

"You look fine, dude," Mike assured him. "You look better than me. I hope Tabby doesn't think so, though." His phone chimed and he took a look to read the message. "It's from Tabby. She and her friend are here. They just parked the car."

Owen immediately sat up, straighter. Mike, from his side of the booth, could see the door and saw when the two women came in. He grinned when he saw Cristina, following Tabitha.

"Man, you are lucky. Your date is lovely," Mike said. Owen looked around, immediately and his mouth dropped open, when he saw who it was.

Cristina saw his face at the same time. A look of recognition crossed her face, as she saw him. She broke out into a huge smile which lit up her entire face.

"Gosh, Cristina, you lucked out," Tabby whispered. "The guy is great-looking. He is better looking than Mike."

But Cristina did not reply; she was too busy smiling at the guy. The two men got up as the women reached the table. Owen could not wipe the grin off his face, and neither could Cristina. Mike and Tabitha stared at them. What the hell was going on?

"It's you," Owen finally said, as he allowed her to sit on the inside of his side of the booth.

"Yeah, it is me," Cristina said. "Are you surprised as I am?"

"Yup, but it is the best surprise ever," Owen replied.

"Um, do you two know each other?" Tabby said, taking her seat on the other side of the booth.

"Yes," Cristina replied. "This is Dr Owen Hunt. He was the doctor who saved Peter, when he was in that accident."

Mike's eyebrows shot up, when he heard that. This was her. This was the woman that Owen had been pining for the last five years. What a hell of a coincidence, he thought.

"Wow, just wow," he said. "This is such a small world." He was so happy his friend that he felt that his heart would just burst in glee. He had known for a long time that Owen had not been happy with Melissa and that he was staying with her because of obligation and loyalty.

"It certainly is," Owen concurred. He turned to Cristina. "Cristina, how is it that you and Tabitha know each other?"

"Tabby and I have been friends for a long time," Cristina told him. "We were in the PhD program together. We both graduated at the same time. Come to think of it, you've seen her before because she was at the graduation ceremony that you attended."

Tabby was in shock. She couldn't believe everything that was unfolding in front of her. It was just too good to be true. She had known about the handsome doctor, who saved Peter's life but she had never met him. Cristina had mentioned to her that she had met the doctor again, when they had taken Noel to the ER, after he was knocked unconscious during his football game. Cristina had told her that she had invited him to give her a call but he hadn't done so and she hadn't understood why.

"You look lovely, Cristina," Owen said, still unable to take his eyes off his date.

"Thank you," she replied, looking at him, a little coyly. "You are not so bad, yourself." He grinned back at her.

Mike and Tabby exchanged glances. Fixing up their friends was working out so well. The waitress came by and brought the beers.

"What can I get the ladies?" she asked, placing the beers in front of the men.

"White wine will be fine," Tabby said. "Okay, Cristina?" Cristina nodded in agreement.

The next two hours were spent, having great conversation, good food and happy company. All throughout the double date, Owen and Cristina kept stealing glances at each other, while Mike and Tabby squeezed each other's hands under the table. Their friends were getting along so well, that it meant that they get to go home with each other. They were happy about that, too.

At the end of the evening, the two guys split the bill and it was time to leave. Owen wanted to be alone with Cristina. Being with their friends was great but it would be nice to be alone.

"I will take Cristina home," Owen said, quickly, as everyone got up. He needed to have that established before she and Tabby suddenly disappeared together.

"We thought you might," Mike said, slapping his friend on his back. "Tabby is following me back to my place. So you can take Cristina home." Owen grinned back at him.

The two men gave each other a buddy hug and Owen whispered his thanks

"Thanks for setting me up," Owen said. "You did good, buddy."

The two women shared a kiss on the cheek.

"I am so glad this all worked out," Tabby said. "Who could even imagine such a scenario happening?"

"I know," Cristina whispered back. She and Owen left, together, while Tabby headed to the ladies' room, while Mike waited for her.

* * *

When they got to the parking lot, Owen took her hand and led her to this car. It was a nice gesture, Cristina thought. His hand wrapped around her tiny hand. Somehow, it made her feel safe and secure.

As they got into the car and drove out of the parking lot, Owen asked her if she would like to go to the waterfront for a walk. The waterfront was very popular for couples to take strolls after their dates. It was usually quite lively with lots of music and food vendors. She immediately said yes because she did not want the evening to end, so quickly.

So they went to the waterfront, where they each had an ice cream and they strolled hand in hand, the entire length of the boulevard. Sometimes, they chatted, as they walked but other times, they just were silent, enjoying being with each other. They stopped a couple of times to watch the water and the skyline of the city. They lived in a beautiful city, they both agreed.

When they finally walked back to his car, Cristina told him where she lived. He knew the area very well. In fact, it was not that far from his house. He couldn't believe that she and the children lived so close to his own house. He knew that street, too because he had passed that way, many a time to get to his own house.

"I know that street. Which house is it?" he asked.

"The Queen Anne," Cristina told him. Owen had passed that house and had often admired the architecture and marveled at how well maintained and preserved it was.

"Oh my God," he said. "That is one of the most amazing houses on that street. I have often passed it and wondered what it looks like on the inside."

He stopped himself from saying anything further, in case he sounded presumptuous about seeing the interior of the house. But Cristina didn't notice his hesitance and told him that she thought that he would probably get to see the inside of the house.

"Peter got the house from his parents," she said. "It will eventually pass on to Noel, so we can keep it in the family. Peter loved that house. He took great pride in the maintenance of the house."

"It shows," Owen said. "In a historic neighborhood like that one, it certainly stands out."

He drove the scenic route back to the house, since he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. He was reluctant to pull up in front of her driveway.

"Walk me to the door?" she asked. He nodded, got out and opened the passenger door for her.

They walked hand in hand up to the front porch. She took out a card from her purse and handed it to him.

"This is a business card but it has my office and cell numbers on it," she said. He took out a card from his wallet and handed it to her.

"All my info is on that, including my emergency pager," he said. He watched as she carefully tucked it into her purse. He had done the same with her card into his wallet.

"I really would like to see you again," he said. "I will call you, soon. Is tomorrow too soon?" His voice had an anxious tone to it. He had been out of the dating game so long that he didn't know whether it would be too pushy to call her, the day after.

"Tomorrow is fine," she said, laughing. There was a silent pause but they both knew what was the next step. He knew he wanted to kiss her. She knew that she wanted him to kiss her.

As he leaned in to take her lips, the porch light suddenly came on and the front door was flung open. With their faces only two inches away from each other, they both turned to see that it was Olivia, who opened the front door. In her arms was a surprisingly bright-eyed Kady, who smiled as soon as she saw her mother. The expression on Olivia's face was different. Her eyebrows were knitted together and she looked angry.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them very much.**


	10. Chapter 10 Something about Olivia

"Mama," Kady said, happily, reaching out for her mother. Cristina took the toddler in her arms and kissed her smooth, soft cheek.

"Livvy, what is Kady doing up at this hour? And why are you here? I thought you were out with Sam," Cristina said. Kady rested her head on her mother's shoulder, glancing over at Owen with interested eyes. She knew she had seen this man before. Owen could not help himself as he reached out for Kady's tiny hand. The toddler was so beautiful.

"I came home half an hour ago," Livvy said, with a sharp tone. "I heard Kady calling out for you, so I went to her room and picked her up." She gave Owen a look of disdain as she observed him taking Kady's hand into his own.

"Where is your brother? I thought he was looking after her," Cristina said, knowing that she had left Kady in the care of her big brother.

"Asleep, of course. He is asleep on the couch. You know how he is, when he falls asleep," Olivia said. "He is totally dead to the world." She gave Owen a stare, which he recognized to be hostile. The level of hostility made him release Kady's hand. He didn't know what he had done for Olivia to dislike him so.

"Um, you remember Dr Hunt?" Cristina said. "He was the date that Tabby had set me up with. Wasn't that an amazing coincidence?" She laughed, lightly.

Olivia nodded, grudgingly. Of course she remembered Owen Hunt. He had been eyeing her stepmother since they took Noel to the ER. She had given him a warning, which apparently he had not heeded.

"I guess I better leave," Owen said. He didn't really want to leave and he could see that Cristina did not want him to leave, either, judging from her crestfallen expression. The situation was a little too awkward, especially with all of the negative vibes he was getting from Olivia.

"Oh, okay," Cristina said. Owen bent down and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

"I will call you, tomorrow," he whispered. That brought a little smile to her face. She watched as he got into his car and drove off. Then she, Olivia and Kady stepped into the house and closed the door behind them.

* * *

Owen did call the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. They spoke every day for that week. Though their jobs made it impossible for them to see each other during the week, they still kept in contact. They made plans for the next weekend. This time, Owen was going to take her on a real first date to a fancy restaurant.

Since both Noel and Olivia were going to be out that night, Tabby had come over to babysit Kady. She watched as Cristina dressed for her night out with Owen.

"So this date is definitely more upscale than last week?" Tabby asked, one enquiring eyebrow was raised. She had seen the various dresses that Cristina had taken out and lain on her bed. Cristina picked up two dresses – one charcoal grey and the other a dark blue.

"Which one, Tabby?" Cristina asked, placing each dress in front of her. "I want to look sophisticated and not a mom with three kids."

"Hmmm," Tabby said. "I think if you are going for sophistication, maybe the charcoal grey dress." Cristina was pleased that Tabby had made the decision for her. This dating thing had really thrown her into a tailspin.

"I am really happy for you, Cristina," Tabby said. "You deserve this."

"Thanks, Tabby," Cristina said, as she pulled on the dress. Tabby zipped her up and told her that she really looked marvelous. Cristina pushed her feet into a new pair of stilettos she had bought for the occasion. She rarely wore high heels because realistically, she really didn't have an opportunity to wear them. She teetered around in her high heels in the bedroom, hoping to walk in them as naturally as she could.

"I hope that I don't fall face first and embarrass myself," she said. "That would be a total disaster."

Then, the doorbell rang. Tabby clapped her hands, excitedly. "He is here! He is here!"

Cristina wondered if Tabby was more excited that she was. Her friend followed her to the front door, where Cristina took a big breath, before she opened.

Owen had a huge grin on his face, as he surveyed how lovely she looked. "Gosh, you look so pretty," he said, leaning forward to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, Owen," Tabitha said, in glee.

"Oh, hi Tabby," Owen replied. "Are you staying with Kady tonight?" Tabby nodded.

"So I guess we better go," Cristina said, as she wrapped her shawl around her shoulders. It wasn't particularly cold but it could get cooler if they decided to take a walk on the waterfront, like they did the week before.

As they drove to the restaurant, they indulged in a little bit of chit-chat about their week. He told her about some patients with some unusual injuries and she told him about the excuses of her students, who could not turn in an assignment on time. They laughed at each other's stories. It was so easy to talk to him, Cristina thought.

When they pulled up in front of the restaurant, Cristina remarked that she had never been there before because she heard the reservations were really hard to get. Owen admitted that it was so but he had treated the head chef, Antoine, when he had received a bad burn. So he had called the chef, who secured him a reservation for one of their busiest nights. Owen had never been to the restaurant before but he had heard that the food was excellent. He hoped that its reputation held true, tonight.

He wanted to take Cristina to somewhere new – a place where he had not taken Melissa before. He wanted to create new memories with Cristina and not dredge up old ones that he had with Melissa. He was glad that Cristina had not been there before.

Indeed, the chef had arranged for Owen and Cristina to have the best table in the house, up on a private balcony, overlooking the main dining room. Even Owen was surprised how great the table was. Thus started one of the best dates that either of them ever had in their entire lives. The food lived up to its reputation and when they sent back their compliments to the chef, he came out to see them. Chef Antoine greeted Owen like an old friend. Cristina was suitably impressed.

After dinner, Owen took Cristina to the waterfront, so they could have ice cream and take a stroll. They held hands, as they walked. As much as Owen was enjoying himself, he knew there was something he had to discuss with Cristina. He felt it was necessary to talk about Olivia's attitude towards him, even though there was a possibility that it could ruin the evening. He had to get it out in the open because he wanted this burgeoning relationship to move forward.

"Cristina, there is something I need to talk about," Owen said. "I want you to know that I want to keep seeing you and that I want this to develop in a real relationship between the two of us. I actually see this as going somewhere for me." He kissed her hand to let her know that he was serious about it.

"Yes, me too," she said, happily. "I want that just as much." She looked at him, her eyes sparkling.

"I am glad that you feel that way but I need for you to know something. It is about Olivia. She does not like me," Owen told her. He tried to make his tone as neutral as possible because he knew that Cristina could get defensive about it.

"What?" Cristina said. She could not believe it. Her sweet Olivia, whom she had raised since she was four years old, could not be unfriendly to Owen. "Are you sure about that?"

Owen nodded, slowly. "I wish it were different but it is certainly so. She has been giving me some really nasty looks, like she doesn't want me around."

Cristina repeated her question. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Owen replied. He knew it would be difficult for Cristina to believe this about one of her kids. "She told me so." Cristina's eyebrows shot up in dismay.

Owen continued. "Remember when Noel came into the ER for his concussion. There was a moment, when I was left alone with Olivia, when you took Kady to the restroom. Olivia told me that you had not moved on from Peter and you were not ready to date."

Cristina shook her head. She thought back about how unhelpful Olivia had been, when she had asked her to babysit Kady the previous week. Then, there were all of the angry expressions from Olivia when she and Owen had come home that night. Cristina had chalked that up to some angry teenage phase that Olivia was going through. She hadn't realized that it was all because she had started dating Owen. Maybe there was something to what Owen was saying.

"Okay," she said. "I will look into it." She was going to observe Olivia's moods and come to a conclusion before discussing it with the teenager.

"Thank you," Owen said. They walked back to the car and he took her home. He got out of the her door and helped her out. He had noticed that she was not used to her high heels, a fact he found it a little amusing. She was about to say something to him, when her foot twisted and she almost fell down. He held her up, so she wouldn't hit the ground.

"Thank you," she said, as she straightened up. They were now facing each other with her looking up at him. He stared at her full, soft lips before he bent down to take them. He had been waiting for this moment for five years. Her lips tasted of the strawberry ice cream that she had eaten at the waterfront. He kissed her gently, then kissed the sides of her mouth before finding the center again. He pushed her lips apart and hoped that she would take his tongue. When she did, he felt gratified. As they continued to kiss, someone was staring at them from her bedroom window.

Olivia clenched her fists, as she stared at them. How could Cristina do this? Didn't Cristina love Peter? Her dad was only gone, 17 months ago. Her eyes filled with bitter tears. She clenched her fists, over and over again. She needed to do something about this.

* * *

It was the next day and Cristina was getting Kady ready to go out. Olivia had got up late and was surprised to see Cristina getting Kady dressed in a play outfit.

"Are you going out?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," Cristina said. "Owen is coming over to take Kady and me for a ride out in the country. We are going to the lake and have lunch at a restaurant there. We should be back about four in the afternoon."

Olivia was flabbergasted. "Whhhaaaattt? What about Noel and me? What are we going to eat?"

"Well, as you keep telling me that you are almost grown up, I am sure you can find something to eat around here. The refrigerator is full as are the cupboards. And even if you don't want to make anything, the drawer has lots of delivery menus, so I don't think that you are going to starve," Cristina said, as she put Kady's sandals on her small feet.

"Going out!" Kady said, raising her two hands in the air. Cristina gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Yes, we are, Kady," Cristina said. "Owen wants to get to know you better." She glanced over at Olivia, who had the most disgusted look on her face.

"Is something the matter, Olivia?" she asked. "Why are you looking that way?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing is the matter!" Olivia screamed, as she stomped out of the kitchen.

Cristina stared after her. Owen was right.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them very much.**


	11. Chapter 11 A Day at the Lake

**A/N This chapter is written from Kady's perspective on her day out with Mama and the Man.**

* * *

Kady was buckled into her car seat in this large vehicle. It was bigger than the car her mama drove. Her mama got into the front seat and so did the Man. Kady was pretty sure she had seen this Man before. If she thought about it, she had seen him two times before.

Mama turned around and looked at her. "Are you alright, Kady? I hope you are comfortable in the back there. It is going to be a long drive." Kady kicked up her feet and grinned, happily. The Man turned around and looked at her, too. He reached back and grabbed one of her tiny hands.

"You are going to have a good time, Kady," he said.

"Yesh," Kady replied. "Good time." She understood what a good time was. It meant having fun.

As they set off on their road trip to the lake, the Man and Mama were talking. He could see that the Man liked Mama very much. He sometimes held her hand, while he drove. Kady started to feel really sleepy. It was true the drive was very long. She looked at her mama, whose already seemed to be taking her nap. The Man looked across at Mama and gently ruffled her hair.

"How ya doing there, Kady?" the Man asked. "You can take a nap. It will be a while before we get there. Your mom is already asleep." Kady's head started to nod and soon, she was off to Dreamland.

* * *

The next time Kady opened her eyes. She was being gently shaken awake by her mama, who was unbuckling her out of her car seat.

"We are here, Kady. At the restaurant. I am sure you are hungry, right now," Mama said. "I am famished, so you must be, too." The toddler struggled to get out of her seat. She was still feeling a bit sleepy.

"Gosh, Kady, you are getting so heavy," Mama said, as she tried to get Kady out of the car.

"I will take her," the Man said. He poked in his head and she was lifted into his strong arms. "My big girl." He gave her a kiss on her cheek. Kady was surprised that he kissed her. She did not know him that well. The Man was tall, so she was much higher in the air, than when Mama held her. She liked it a lot.

Together, the three of them went inside the restaurant, where a waitress showed them a table. They brought a high chair for Kady, for which she was grateful. She didn't like it when they put her on one of those low chairs. She couldn't see over the table. Mama and the Man ordered food from the waitress. Kady was hungry. She hoped they would bring food soon.

The waitress took a look at Kady and remarked what a beautiful girl she was. Mama and the Man both beamed when the waitress complimented her.

"Yes, she is," the Man said. "We both think so." He smiled at her and Kady knew that the Man liked her, too.

The food came quickly and Kady was very grateful. She was very hungry. She chewed on a French fry and got ketchup all around her mouth. The Man took a napkin and wiped all of the ketchup away.

"Now your face is all clean," he said. Lunch was not over, as the waitress brought over pieces of apple pie for everyone. Kady loved apple pie. She loved how warm and gooey the filling was. It was sweet and good. When she had polished off her piece of pie, The Man wiped her face, again. Mama took her to the restroom and by the time they got out, the Man was waiting for them to leave.

It was only a short ride in the car before they finally reached their destination. This was the lake. Kady had never seen anything like this in her life. There were many families there, some of them with children as young as Kady. This looked to be a great place. She hoped her mama would take her into the water. The Man laid out a large blanket on the ground.

"All three of us can easily fit on that blanket," Mama said, as she took a seat on the blanket.

"That's why I brought it," the Man said. He also took a seat and put Kady on to his lap. She leaned back and rested against him.

"Hey, you know what we can do. We can rent one of those rowboats and go out on the lake," Mama suggested. "I am sure Kady would enjoy that."

"So are you planning to make me work off that heavy lunch?" the Man said, grinning. "Yes, this little girl would love that. You know what I like about this place. No motorized watercraft. Only rowboats or canoes are allowed. It makes it safer for the kids, swimming in the water."

"Yup. I think I am going to ask that guy how much he rents his rowboats for," Mama said. She got up and asked the Man if he would be alright with Kady. He nodded, putting his arm around Kady. As Mama left, he watched as she headed down to the place where they were renting the boats.

The Man lay back on the blanket and put Kady right next to him.

"I don't know about you, Kady but that lunch has me terribly sleepy," the Man said. "I could take a nap, right here." Kady knew what he was talking about. She, too, was feeling sleepy. She snuggled against him and closed her eyes.

"Yes, you sleep, baby," the Man said, as Kady drifted off.

* * *

Kady was aware of some stirring next to her. She opened her eyes. She didn't know how long she was asleep. She sat up and saw that the Man and Mama were kissing.

"Hey, sleepyhead, you are up," Mama said. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Yesh," Kady said. She was still feeling a little sleepy, so she lay back down on the blanket. She listened to her Mama and the Man talking.

"I have something to show you," Mama said. She took out her phone and showed the Man a picture of him and Kady sleeping on the blanket.

"Oh my God, I look like a giant," the Man said. "Kady looks like a doll next to me."

"I thought it was the cutest thing ever," Mama said. "I will send it to you."

"Thanks," the Man said. "I was thinking about the Olivia situation. I think we need to do something about it."

"Yes," Mama said. "I was thinking that maybe, I can invite you over to Sunday lunch with all of the children. I know that Noel supports us, so that may be a help in changing her mind about you."

"Okay," the Man said. "I really want to try. I think Kady likes me,too." He gave the little girl a tickle on her tummy, which had her laughing.

"Yeah, me too. I like you a whole lot. Three out of four is not bad at all," Mama said. "We are good together."

Then, Kady saw it. From the corner of her eye, she saw a golden retriever puppy run in front of her. She got up, immediately. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her entire life. She loved puppies. She got up and started chasing the dog and the boy, who owned it. The boy was older, probably around six years old.

Kady didn't hear at first but the Man was calling her name for her to come back. The boy with the dog turned around and looked at the toddler, who had been chasing him.

"Hey, baby. Your daddy is calling you," the boy said. "You better go back or your daddy will be real mad. You are too little to be out here by yourself."

"Daddy?" Kady repeated. She turned around and saw the Man calling her.

"Come on, Kady, you can't run away like that," the Man said. Then, it all finally clicked for Kady. That was the Man's name. His name was Daddy. Just like Mama's name was Mama, her brother was Noel and her sister was Livvy.

She started running towards the Man, screaming, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" She ran into his arms. He picked her up and swung her into the air.

Then, something happened. It looked like Daddy was crying. She wondered why. Maybe he had a boo-boo. She knew that boo-boos hurt a lot. Her mama always kissed them away when she had a boo-boo. She wiped the tears from his face and kissed him. That would make Daddy feel better.

Mama came up to them and asked him what was wrong. Daddy shook his head and told her that it was nothing. He just had a little bit of dust in his eye. He asked Mama if she wanted to go out on the lake. Mama said yes. They went to the boat rental place where they all put on hats and lifejackets. Daddy rowed the boat out in the middle of the lake. Kady looked over the side of the boat and she could see fish in the water. She had never seen fish so big. The fish she knew in Noel's aquarium were much smaller than this.

"Fish!" she screamed.

Daddy said that the fish was a trout. Mama held on to her as she leaned over. Kady put her hand in the water so she could call the fish to come closer. One fish came close enough and brushed against her hand. Kady shrieked in delight. It felt so weird and wonderful at the same time.

Eventually, they rowed back to shore and got back in the car to go home. Kady was so tired that she slept all of the way back into the city. She only woke up when Mama took her out of the car. They had stopped at a house, which was not their house. It looked different from their house.

"Just an ordinary contemporary house," Daddy said, as he opened the door to let them in. They walked around the house, as Daddy showed them all of the rooms.

They stopped at a bedroom, which was similar to Kady's bedroom at home. It was a nursery.

"Maybe we can leave Kady in here. She still looks very tired," Daddy suggested. Mama was sad as she looked at the nursery.

"Oh, Owen," she said. "You guys had done this up for your baby." The baby/ies that never came. Daddy nodded.

"Yeah," Daddy said. "We were excited the first time the in-vitro worked that we went overboard and bought everything and fixed up the nursery. Then, she lost it. Then, when she got pregnant the second time, she lost it, again. Melissa could barely come in here. We didn't touch the place and just left it."

Mama placed Kady in the crib. It was soft and comfortable. She was glad to rest. It was hard trying to sleep in her car seat. She closed her eyes, briefly. Mama and Daddy both gave her a kiss and left the room.

Kady lay there on the bed, drifting between being asleep and being awake. She could hear Mama and Daddy in the next room. They were giggling a lot, she thought. She wondered what they were doing. They were probably having a really good time. A good time meant they were having fun.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them. **


	12. Chapter 12 Sunday lunch

As Cristina tossed the salad, she could not help but smile. Owen was coming over to join her and her family for Sunday lunch. Ah, Owen, she thought. She blushed a bit. The last time, she and Owen were together was the day they went to the lake with Kady. After putting Kady in the nursery, Owen coyly introduced her to his bedroom.

"Hmmm," she said. "This is a very nice bedroom. Is there a reason that we are here?" He grinned as he led her in.

"I thought we might get to know each other a little better," he said, as he bent his head to claim her lips.

She laughed. "I thought we were already doing that but I think that you want to get to know each other better in a different way."

"Yes," he said. "You do know that I have been waiting for more than five years for this. Do you want this too?"

She nodded, as her fingers found the bottom of his t-shirt and she started pulling it up over his body. He helped her by getting it off over his head.

"You have to know that Peter is the only person I have ever been with in this way," she said, softly. "I met him when I was 18."

"Okay," he said. He knew why she was telling him this. Her only sexual experience was with her husband and she wanted him to be gentle with her. He unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her lacy black bra.

"Nice," he said, as he fingered the straps. Then, simultaneously, they started unbuttoning each other's shorts. There was a bit of fumbling as they were both eager to get each other's shorts off. It didn't help that they were also kissing at the same time. Finally, their shorts dropped to the floor and they were both clad only in their underwear.

They continued to kiss as he pushed her on to the bed, lying on top of her.

"Do you think Kady is alright?" Cristina asked, thinking about her toddler in the next room.

"Yup, she is fine," Owen replied, as his mouth found her neck, her collarbone. He wanted to taste her nipples so bad so he reached around and freed her from the confines of her bra, pulling it off and tossing it on the floor next to the bed. His head bent down as he took a nipple into his mouth, reveling how it hardened under his tongue.

"Oh, God, Owen," she whispered, as she reached down and tugged at his underwear. He grinned at her , as he pulled it off and tossed that, too on the side of the bed. He slipped off her panties, so that she was totally nude in front of him.

"You are so beautiful," he said, as his head went down to her sexual center. Cristina closed her eyes.

Her eyes were still closed when Olivia's voice broke her reverie. She reluctantly opened them. That was such a pleasurable memory. She could almost still feel his tongue on her. Quite a lot more happened after that but she couldn't replay that, now that Olivia was right in front of her. She blushed a whole lot, as she faced her step-daughter's enquiring eyes.

"Cristina!" Olivia repeated. "What else do you need me to do?" She wondered why her step-mom's face had turned red.

"You are done with setting with the table?" Cristina asked. The teenager nodded. Cristina knew that Olivia was certainly not happy about Owen coming for their family Sunday lunch.

"Well, I guess your brother has the grilling under control and you can check out what Kady is doing. I left her looking at one of her DVDs so that should be over in a bit. You can put in a new one for her when that is done," Cristina said.

Olivia left the kitchen, in search of her baby sister. Cristina finished tossing the salad and went to the dining room, where Olivia had laid out the place settings. She had to admit that her daughter had done a great job, especially with the flowers in the centerpiece. She added the salad to the rest of the food that was already there. All that was missing was the meat that Noel was grilling.

The doorbell rang and Cristina's heart took a leap. He was here! She took off her apron and tossed it in the kitchen. She took a look at herself in the foyer mirror and carefully fluffed out her curly hair. She could freshen her lipstick a little bit but no time to do that, as Owen had rung the bell a second time. She walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hello, beautiful," Owen said. He had the biggest smile on his face.

"Hey," she said, shyly. Why was she feeling this way? They had already been intimate but she realized it was because he had already seen her in her most vulnerable state. He stepped forward and took her face into his hands and kissed her.

"It is so hard not seeing you during the week," he said. "I love being a trauma doctor but I wish my hours weren't so crazy. I have missed you so much." They wrapped their arms around each other, tightly.

"Mama!" a small voice cried out, as Olivia and Kady came into the foyer.

"Hey there, big girl," Owen said, stooping down and putting out his arms for Kady. The toddler ran into them, giggling. It was Daddy and he had come to see her.

"Good day," Olivia said, a little stiffly. "Cristina, Noel has started putting the meat on the dining room table. He is through with his grilling."

"Oh, good," Cristina said. "Owen, you came just in time. Everything has been set and ready on the table. It is all hot and good." She led Owen, who was holding Kady into the dining room. Olivia followed them, shaking her head.

Noel was putting the last of the chicken on to the table, when they came in.

"Noel," Owen said. "It seems that you have been grilling up a storm. You have done a fine job, son."

"Thanks, Dr. Hunt," Noel replied. "It was a pleasure. I love grilling. I have been grilling for years. My dad taught me."

Owen placed Kady into her high chair and then remarked how lovely everything looked.

"Olivia did that," Cristina said. "She did a fine job."

Owen agreed, enthusiastically; Olivia grunted her thanks. Both Owen and Cristina were making a special effort to appreciate all of Olivia's efforts but she wasn't particularly welcoming to their overtures.

Everyone took their seats. Owen was about to dig into the potato salad, when Olivia pointed out, very sharply that they usually said grace before family meals.

"Oh, excuse me," he said, as he took Cristina's hand into his. Everyone bowed their heads as Olivia gave thanks for the meal they were about to consume.

"That was very nice," Owen said. "When you are eating on the run, like I do most times at the hospital, there isn't much time for saying grace."

"My dad always felt it was important to say grace before meals," Olivia said, observing Owen with a stern expression. "He said it was important to thank God for what we are about to eat because there are people around the world who don't know when their next meal is going to come from. We should be grateful that we can partake in this meal with our family."

Owen felt he was being lectured by the teenager but he decided to ignore it and instead, say some soothing words. "Your father was a wise man," he told her. He knew she couldn't argue with that. She gave a curt nod.

Noel watched the exchange, rather disturbed. He felt Olivia was being a little rude and he let her know with a well-aimed kick under the table. She gave him a glare in return. To lift the mood, Noel started talking about how he got accepted to a couple of schools and they were now weighing scholarship options.

Owen could not help but notice the difference between how Noel treated him in contrast to Olivia. He wished that it would be that easy with Olivia but clearly, it wasn't as he could feel the teenager's eyes boring into him. Apart from Olivia, the meal was actually quite enjoyable. Owen complimented Noel on his grilling skills and Cristina for the rest of the meal. He said it was rare that he actually had a home-cooked meal and he thanked everyone, profusely.

"You are very welcome," Cristina said. Owen reached over and took her hand and kissed it. Olivia felt like she could scream.

She turned to her kids and asked if they could clear the table, while she and Owen took a seat on the back patio. Noel and Olivia got up and started clearing away the dishes. They also knew that they also had to wash the dishes, too and put them away. Between the two of them, it wouldn't take very long.

"Well, let's take this big girl, too," Owen said, as he got up to take Kady out of her high chair. Kady put up her two arms to be lifted out.

"Daddy!" she said, happily. It was as if time stood still for a moment. Cristina, Noel and Olivia just stopped and stared at the little girl, now ensconced in Owen's arms. They were all more than shocked by Kady's pronouncement. It was Olivia, who found her voice first.

"No, no, no! Kady, no! He is not your daddy!" she screamed, loudly. Kady's mouth dropped open. Why was her sister shouting at her like this? She didn't like it, especially since Olivia continued shouting. Olivia picked up a picture of Peter, holding a newborn Kady in his arms.

"This is your daddy, Kady! Look he is holding you!" she shouted. Kady suddenly burst into tears. Why was Olivia so angry with her? She buried her face in Owen's shoulder.

"Please, Olivia," Cristina said, trying to soothe the situation. "You are upsetting your sister."

"No, no, no!" Olivia screamed, again. She, too, was in tears, as she ran out of the dining room and headed to her bedroom. Cristina was going to follow her but Noel put up his hand.

"Let me go," he said. "She will probably talk to me more than she would be willing to speak to you." He quickly left to go see his sister in her bedroom.

Cristina gave Owen an apologetic look. "I am so sorry about Olivia's outburst."

"It's okay," Owen replied. He gave her a smile but it didn't reach his eyes, so she knew he was under some stress.

"I didn't know that Kady was calling you Daddy," she said. "I am sorry about that, too. She may be a little confused."

This time, the smile did reach Owen's eyes as he told her that it was certainly okay. "I will take Kady to the patio," he said. "You can join me when you have cleared up things with Olivia."

"Thanks for being so understanding, Owen," she said. As Owen left with Kady, Cristina sat back down and thought about what she was going to do. She couldn't just sit there, she thought. She got up and made her way to Olivia's bedroom on the second floor. When she got there, she noticed the door was slightly ajar and she could hear her step-children's voices. She decided to listen for a bit because it seemed that Noel had managed to calm his sister down.

Olivia was still crying but her sobs were quieter.

"You can't mind what Kady says," Noel said. "She is just a baby."

"It's like Cristina has forgotten about Dad," Olivia replied. "She has found a new boyfriend and it is like Dad never existed. Noel, it has only been 18 months since Dad died. How can she move on like this?"

"We all have to move on," he told her, as he patted his sister's back. "Dad would want Cristina to move on, to be happy. He loved her very much and he would her want to be happy. She is only 30 years old and that is really young to be a widow. She can't be alone for the rest of her life. I am leaving, then you are leaving. It will only be her and Kady and she is going to need someone."

Olivia let out another wail. "But it is too soon, Noel. Just too soon. Kady won't even remember Dad and he was the best dad ever. He was so kind and generous and wonderful and handsome. Nobody can take his place."

"Nobody can take Dad's place, Livvy," Noel reasoned. "He is forever in our hearts. I think Dr. Hunt wants to find his own place with Cristina. As for Kady, we are going to tell her about Dad but she is just a baby and she wants a daddy, too. Maybe, Dr. Hunt can do that for her. We were lucky, Livvy, to have all these memories of Dad. We can treasure them, forever but think about poor Kady."

But no matter what Noel said, Olivia could not be consoled. "I miss Dad so so much," she sobbed. "Why did he have to die? Why did he leave us? He was supposed to be there for our graduations. He was supposed to walk me down the aisle at my wedding. He was supposed to be there when I have my first child." She screamed in anguish and buried her face in her pillow. Noel continued to rub her back and tell her it was okay.

As Cristina stood outside of the room, the tears were streaming down her face. She hadn't known that Olivia was hurting so badly. She had merely thought that Olivia had disliked Owen and that some day, she would get over it. She hadn't known the depth of Olivia's pain.

There was a pact she and Peter had made years ago, when they first got married.

"No matter what," he had said on their wedding day. "The welfare and needs of the kids will always come first; Noel and Olivia and any other baby that we will have. Promise me that, Cristina."

She had nodded and agreed. The welfare of the children will always come first. As she turned away and returned downstairs, she knew what she had to do.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them.**


	13. Chapter 13 Moving On

Cristina wiped the tears away from her face and tried to compose herself before she stepped out on the back patio. Owen was there, sitting in a chair, with Kady on his lap. He was talking in a soft voice to her, pointing out the birds and squirrels in the back yard. Kady clapped her hands in glee. She enjoyed being with her daddy.

"Hey," Cristina said, quietly. Owen looked up at her with the warmest smile on his face. It almost broke her heart because of what she was going to tell him.

"How is Olivia?" he asked. "Is she doing better? Did you get a chance to talk to her?"

Cristina shook her head. Her heart was very heavy as she spoke. "I didn't speak to her but I listened to her conversation with Noel. " She came and sat next to him.

"It was the most heartbreaking conversation ever. Olivia is in great pain. She is still grieving for Peter. Your entry into our lives has not been easy for her," she continued.

"I can understand that," Owen said. A sense of dread began to fill him. He waited with bated breath for Cristina's next words. She looked at him and he could see the pain in her eyes.

"No, no, no!" he said, immediately. He knew what she was going to say. "We just found each other, again. No."

"We have to," she said, softly. "For the sake of Olivia. She needs more time to accept something like this. I think we should take a break."

"No," Owen repeated. "You can't do this. Please don't do this. We can work this out."

The tears were streaming down Cristina's face. "Peter and I had made a pact when we first got married that the welfare and the needs of the children would always come first. I have to think about her. My daughter is in pain."

They both sat there in silence. Owen gave Kady to Cristina and he stood up. He was both angry and very hurt at the same time.

"So I have no say in this," he said, looking down at her. He started walking away from her but he turned around to take one last look at her. "You know if I walk out of this house, there is a possibility I may never come back."

She nodded. "If that is your choice," she said, softly.

As he walked away, he could not help the bitter tears that were filling his eyes. He was so hurt. How could she just throw away their relationship? He knew the intense pain he was feeling was because he loved her.

* * *

It had been two months since he walked out of the Kennedy house. It had been a difficult two months for him. He had been filled with so much hurt, pain, anger and bitterness. His emotions were different, depending on the day. He missed Cristina so badly and he missed seeing Kady's beautiful little face. He tried to get on with his work. He took on extra shifts, so that he could fill his day and not think about her. But it was difficult when he tried to sleep; all he could do was dream about her and making love to her. They had only made love that one day when they had come back from the lake in his house. He couldn't fathom that it would be the only time they would ever have together. The dreams would be so beautiful but when he woke up, he would be reminded them that they were not real and that he was alone.

After one such dream, he woke up, trying to reach for her but there was no one there on the other side of the bed.

"You can't carry on like this, Owen. You have to move on," he said, aloud. "Cristina did not choose you. You have to accept that." With greater resolve, he decided he was going to make an effort. There was a new dermatologist on staff. Her name was Roxanne Reynolds. She was a tall, attractive brunette with flawless skin. He would expect that her skin was flawless, given that she was a dermatologist and would know all of the tricks of the trade to keep her skin glowing and unblemished.

He had seen her several times in the cafeteria and other than the superficial small talk, they really hadn't had a conversation. He found out that she was divorced with no children. That was similar to his own situation. He took a deep breath before he approached her in the cafeteria and asked if he could join her. They had a pleasant conversation and by the end of lunch, he had asked her out. She had readily said yes to his invitation. As he walked away from the table, he had mixed emotions. He still wanted Cristina but she had wounded him so much.

"You have to move on," he reminded himself. "Cristina doesn't want you."

* * *

It was the day of his date with Roxanne. She had come down to the ER to see him.

"Hey, Owen," she said. "Still on for tonight?"

"Yes," he said. "Made reservations at Luigi's. You do like Italian?" He cocked his head to one side, which Roxanne found to be quite adorable.

"Yes, I adore Italian," she said. "Luigi's is a great place. I guess I will meet you there around 7 p.m."

"Yes," he said. "I will be there at 7 p.m." He watched as she walked away and took the elevator. He sighed. She was an attractive woman but she was not the woman he wanted. Roxanne looked around and gave him a smile and a wave. He smiled back. He needed to try.

* * *

Later, he was treating a patient, who had been stung by several bees. The man's face was swollen. Apparently, he was an amateur beekeeper – the emphasis being on "amateur." After giving the man a few shots, Owen heard a familiar voice calling his name. The person sounded frantic and desperate.

"Where is Dr Hunt? Please get me Dr Hunt," the person said. Owen knew who it was. He stepped out from behind the curtain.

"Olivia?" he said. Olivia turned around as Owen said her name. Then, he saw her. Kady was in Olivia's arms. All Owen could see was the blood on Kady's face.

"Oh my God! Kady!" he shouted, as he rushed forward to take Kady in his arms. "What happened, Olivia?" He took Kady to the nearest bed.

"Daddy?" Kady said in a plaintive wail.

"Yes, it is me, baby," Owen said, as he gently laid her down on the bed. He started examining the wound. It looked like a dog bite.

"What happened?" Owen asked. "This seems to be a dog bite."

"It is," Olivia said, her voice shaky with fear. "We were in the park – me, Sam and Kady. Kady was playing. Then she saw this dog. Kady loves dogs. So before we could stop her, she rushed up to the dog to hug it. The dog was startled and bit her in retaliation. We rushed her here as soon as possible. Please help her."

Owen examined the bite, closely. "We need to clean this wound up. She definitely will need some shots. We don't know the dog's history so we are going to take every precaution. Plus it definitely looks like she is going to need some stitches."

"Oh, no!" Olivia said, as she burst into tears. Owen needed to concentrate on Kady so he wanted Olivia to go outside in the waiting room.

"Is Sam out there?" Owen asked. Olivia nodded. "Well, go out there and wait with Sam. I need to start working on Kady." Olivia reluctantly left the room.

"Daddy," Kady said. staring up at Owen.

"I am going to take good care of you," Owen said, as he started cleaning the wound and the blood off her face. "You are such a brave girl."

As he cleaned the wound, he stared at the jagged tear on her face. He knew he could stitch it up himself. He had done this, hundreds of times. But this was Kady – his beautiful, little Kady. He told the nurse to call Dr. Mitchell.

"The head of plastics?" the nurse asked in surprise.

"I gave you an order, now please do it," Owen said, sternly. The nurse nodded and headed out of the exam room area to call Dr. Mitchell. In the meantime, Owen gave Kady her first set of shots. She cried and he comforted her.

Dr. Mitchell came down, 10 minutes later. "Hunt, you have a patient for me?" The man looked at Kady on the bed.

"Yes, she was bitten on her face by a dog," Owen said. "I need you to stitch her up."

"What, Hunt? I know you can handle this. Why call me for this?" Mitchell asked.

"I want there to be as minimal scarring as possible. That's why I called you," Owen said. "Please, Brian."

"Daddy," Kady said, again. Owen rushed to her side.

"I am here, baby. I am not going anywhere," he said.

"Good God, Owen. Why didn't you say that it was your kid?" Mitchell said. He came forward to examine the wound.

"Yes, she does need stitches. She is a beautiful, little girl," he noted. "Okay, minimal scarring. After it heals, she will look like she almost never was injured." Kady was sedated and Mitchell got to work on repairing the wound. Owen held Kady's hand throughout the whole procedure, saying that she was the bravest, little girl in the whole world.

When it was over, Owen left Kady to talk to Olivia and Sam. They both jumped up, immediately.

"Is she alright?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," Owen said. "She is a little bit sedated, now because we had to give her stitches. When she wakes up, you can take her home. She will need some rest and you have to ensure that she does not touch the wound." He handed her an instruction sheet about taking care of Kady's injury.

"Thank you so much," Olivia said. She started crying, again but this time, they were tears of relief. He patted her on her back and then, he started to walk away, when Olivia called him back. He turned around when he heard her next words.

"She misses you, Dr Hunt. Very much. She is miserable without you. She cries at night, when she thinks that no one is awake but I hear her," Olivia said, softly. He knew she was talking about Cristina.

Olivia continued, "I know it is all my fault. I know I have been selfish about the whole situation. Cristina is very unhappy and I know I am to blame. She stopped seeing you, when I couldn't accept the fact that she was dating.

"I miss my dad, so much. It is like an ache in my heart. But my hostility towards you wasn't really aimed at you. Well, yes, maybe it was but it would have been anybody that Cristina dated. It wasn't you, in particular. I didn't want her to move on because it seemed that everyone was forgetting my dad. Cristina, Noel, especially Kady, who doesn't even have a clue that she had a dad.

"So when I heard her call you daddy, I just went ballistic. It isn't your fault, Dr. Hunt. You have been good to my family. You helped save Dad, when he was in the accident. You took care of Noel, when he had that concussion. And now you are helping Kady. I am so grateful. If Cristina were here, she would be grateful, too. You are a good man, Dr. Hunt and I wish to apologize for my terrible behavior."

Owen nodded. He knew that it took a lot out of Olivia to apologize. "Where is your step-mom? I thought you would have called her."

"Um, Cristina is out of town. She is doing a lecture at another university. I will tell her about Kady after she is done. I don't want to interrupt her, now," Olivia said. "Especially since Kady is doing alright."

"Okay," Owen said. "I have instructed the nurse to release Kady when she wakes up. Just to make sure that she is okay. As for the other thing, I accept your apology. I have to go check on another patient."

As he walked away, he heard Olivia yell after him, "You can call her, you know."

Owen closed his eyes.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them. **


	14. Chapter 14 Missed Connections

Owen stared at his phone, wondering whether to call Cristina or not. It was the day after Olivia and Kady had come into the ER. He replayed the whole conversation with Olivia in his mind - her explanation, her apology and her plea for Owen to call Cristina. He had to admit it felt good that she did that.

He had thought about it all day. He weighed the pros and cons about it. He even thought about it during his date with Roxanne, the night before. He hoped that Roxanne had not figured out that his mind was elsewhere. It had been a pleasant enough date. Roxanne was a good conversationalist but there was one thing that bothered him about Roxanne. She was a very touchy-feely kind of woman.

Several times during the date, she stroked his arm. He hadn't reciprocated. After all, they didn't know each other that well and he felt uncomfortable doing that. However, Roxanne seemed oblivious to his discomfort, as she continued to stroke his arm during the dinner date. When he took her home, he walked her to her front door, and bent down to kiss her on her cheek. She had moved her head a little and his lips brushed the edge of her mouth. He apologized and told her good night and that he would see her at the hospital.

At work, the patients that came in, provided him with a little bit of respite from thinking about Cristina. But now, it was quiet time and he was all alone in an on-call room. There was nothing else to think about. As much as he wanted to call her, he felt that he shouldn't. He was pretty sure that Olivia had already told Cristina what had happened and she should be back, after her trip out of town.

He wanted her to be the one to make the first step. Cristina had wounded him, greatly. He wanted her to be the one to call. He wanted her to fight for him and for their relationship. He wanted to know that he mattered to her.

He put away his phone.

* * *

Cristina stared at her phone. She was back from her trip to the other university. She thought about the previous day's events. After her lecture, she had received a call from Olivia, telling her what had happened to Kady. She had been angry that Olivia had allowed Kady to get hurt and told her that. Olivia apologized and told her about how Owen had taken care of Kady at the hospital. She also said that she had apologized to Owen about her behavior and attitude towards him.

Olivia had also said that if Cristina wanted to date Owen, it was okay with her. She wasn't going to give any trouble anymore.

When Cristina came home, Olivia had reiterated what she had said to her on the phone. Kady, with stitches on her face, told her mama that she had seen Daddy and he had taken care of her. Cristina had given her a kiss and told her that daddy would always take care of her.

Now, she was all alone, in her bedroom, with her phone. Should she call him? Well, she knew she had to show some sort of gratitude for all he had done for Kady. But she was also filled with a bit of trepidation. What if he didn't want to hear from her, anymore? After all, she was the one who broke up with him. She knew she had hurt him, deeply.

Still, she reasoned, she had to be the one to make the first step. There was so much she needed to say, so much she needed to tell him. In the two months they had been apart, she had thought about him, often. She had cried at night, when all of the children were asleep. She had missed him so much.

She put away her phone in her handbag. She wasn't going to call him. Instead, she was going to see him. She picked up her handbag and left the house.

* * *

Owen pressed the button for the elevator. The doors opened and to his surprise, Roxanne was there. She stepped out of the elevator and gave him a winning smile.

"Why, hello handsome," she said, coming up really close to him. He watched as the doors closed and the elevator went away. It would have been rude to step on the elevator, when it was obvious that Roxanne wanted to chat with him. They had not seen each other all day and he had been grateful for that. But, now it could not be avoided, especially, since she was that close to him.

"So I haven't seen or heard from you all day," Roxanne gave him a coy smile.

"Been busy," Owen replied. "ER has been packed from since morning. I haven't had much time to breathe."

"I was hoping that I would have caught you in the cafeteria. We could have had lunch together," she said, touching the lapels of his lab coat.

"Um, well, we were slammed in the ER, so I just grabbed a sandwich and a drink," he said. "It was all hands on deck for most of the day."

"So we have a little quiet time now?" Roxanne said, running her hands on his arms.

"Er, yes," Owen said, feeling uncomfortable.

Little did he know that they had a spectator, watching the two of them. Cristina had come in, looking for him. She had asked the nurse at the nurses' station where she could find Dr. Hunt. The nurse had pointed him out at the elevator. Cristina looked in the direction of where the nurse was pointing and saw them – Owen with the tall, brunette woman.

She stared at them. It was clear to her that they seemed to be intimate, especially the way the woman was running her hands on Owen. There was a lump in her throat. Cristina felt like crying. Owen had a new girlfriend. It was too late for her and Owen and it was all her fault. She really couldn't blame him. She was the one who turned him away. She was the one who broke his heart. It was probably right that her heart was the one being broken, now. She turned back to the nurse.

"Could you give me a piece of paper? I think I will just write him a note," Cristina said. The nurse handed her a piece of paper and she wrote her thanks to him about taking care of Kady. She handed the nurse her note and asked that the note be given to Dr. Hunt. She took one last look at Owen and quietly left the lobby to go home.

* * *

It took Owen another 15 minutes to extricate himself from the clutches of Roxanne. As he walked away from her, he decided that he had to find a way to let her down, gently. No, there was not going to be a second date. It had been an okay date but he hadn't experienced any fireworks. There was only one person he felt that way about and he was still waiting for her to call him.

As he walked past the nurses' station, the nurse on duty called out to him. "Dr. Hunt," she said.

"Yes," he said, turning to face her. She handed him a note.

"A woman came by and dropped off this note for you," the nurse said.

Owen stepped away from the station to read the note. It was from Cristina. He could almost feel his heart leaping. He read the note.

"_Owen,_

"_I just wanted to thank you so much for the kindness you showed Olivia and especially, Kady, when she came in with her injury. Kady told me how she saw you and you took care of her. Olivia also expressed how grateful she was that you were there in their time of need. _

"_As their mother, I would also like to add my gratitude to you._

"_Cristina."_

Owen read the note over again. There was no mention in it about the two of them, only about Olivia and Kady. He was very disappointed. He turned back to the nurse and asked how long ago was the woman here.

"About 15 minutes ago," the nurse said. "She had wanted to speak to you but she changed her mind and decided to write the note instead."

Fifteen minutes ago, he was at the elevator, talking to Roxanne. Roxanne had her hands all over him. From the nurses' station, Cristina had a clear view of him and Roxanne.

"Oh, no, Cristina," Owen said. She had probably got the wrong idea that he and Roxanne were together.

"What was that, Dr Hunt?" the nurse asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Thank you for giving me the note."

"No problem," she said. Owen turned away. He wondered if to call Cristina. He had wanted her to make the first move but if she had been at the hospital, maybe that was her first move.

Then, his phone rang. Maybe it was her. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the phone, as he eagerly answered.

"Hello, Dr. Hunt here," he said, almost breathless in anticipation.

"Hey, hey," Mike said on the other end. "Why are you sounding so breathless? I am not a girl."

"Oh, it's just you," Owen said, his voice sounded down.

"Well, you don't have to so sound so unenthusiastic, Owen. Jeez. I have some news for you. Actually, I think it is good news. Maybe it will take you out of this foul mood," Mike replied. "You know how I am getting this transfer to London for a year. Well, Tabby and I were going to do the long distance thing and then, we realized we couldn't do it, so we are getting married!"

"What!" Owen replied. "Married? But you've only known Tabby for about six months, right?"

"Yup," Mike said. "But I am telling you, she is the one!"

"Well, congratulations, my man!" Owen said. "When is the wedding? It has to be soon, given that you are leaving in a month."

"Yup, we are going to get married in two weeks," Mike said. "And I need you to be my best man."

"Two weeks – that is soon. Yes, I will be honored to be your best man," Owen said. "I am looking forward to it."

* * *

Cristina came home with a heavy heart. She and Owen were over. Truly over. She went to the kitchen, hoping to make herself a hot cup of tea and a cupcake. She needed to comfort herself. She was surprised to find Tabby there, waiting for her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she said, rushing forward to give her friend a hug and a kiss.

"I have some exciting news," Tabby said. Cristina started to make herself a cup of tea. She looked at her friend, who seemed ready to burst.

"Okay, tell me," Cristina said. "You can't seem to hold it in."

"Mike and I are getting married," Tabby announced, triumphantly. Cristina ran to her friend and gave her a huge hug.

"I am so happy for you," Cristina said. "So when is the big day?"

"Two weeks," Tabby said. "We have to do it soon because Mike is being transferred to London for a year. I am going to go with him."

"Wow. That soon," Cristina said, a little bit in shock. "What about your job?"

"I am taking a year's sabbatical," Tabby replied. "I already talked to the head of the department and he is fine with it."

"Okay, I am going to miss you so much, Tabby," Cristina said. "Looks like you have a lot of planning to do in a hurry."

"Yup, that is why I am roping you in," Tabby said, with a grin. "You are going to be my maid of honor or is it matron of honor, since you've been married. Oh, whatever it is, you are going to be it."

"I accept," Cristina said, with a laugh. She needed something like this to help her out of her current doldrums. "Let's get started."

The two friends sat down at the kitchen and excitedly, started planning the wedding.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them. **


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